Fosun take inspiration from Spurs as they look to build Wolves' future

Wolves' Chinese owners have invested in the long term from day one, signing young players, expanding the backroom team, improving the training ground and now planning to redevelop Molineux.

Chairman Jeff Shi has spoken of wanting Wolves to be the biggest club in the world – a feat he believes in achievable in the coming decades.

He and managing director Laurie Dalrymple have also both stated that Wolves' target is to win the Premier League.

It's lofty talk – as lofty as it gets – and with comments such as those there's always the nagging feeling that, while Wolves' ambition is to be lauded, you wonder if they may come back to haunt them.

Wolves are a different beast these days but when Jez Moxey said in March 2011 that Wolves could reach the top three in the Premier League and compete in Europe, when at the time they were 19th in the table, the first reaction was to cringe.

That's less the case now. The statements aren't as outlandish or unnecessarily bullish when you team has recently been as high in the January 1 league table as it's been for more than 40 years and on target for a first top-half finish since 1980.

It was a relief, though, to see Shi select Tottenham Hotspur as a template in his latest interview, rather than referencing the big-spending might of Manchester City as he did a few months ago.

Spurs may still be waiting to end their trophy drought, but following their template is more sensible in the long run that a risky spending splurge in the City mould.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, Shi said: "I think Tottenham is the benchmark.

"Of course we are not the same, but in my understanding and knowledge of the last 10 years, Daniel Levy did a very good job.

"I think he is the best CEO in the Premier League so far and without much funding has built a very strong team, very good academy, very good young players and kept his club working very highly and strong.

"We can learn from them, but Wolves are still Wolves. We cannot copy anyone.

"We can learn from Spurs, Man City, Man United, but we still need to find our own identity.

"But if you ask me who is impacting my knowledge more than others then it is maybe Spurs and in Germany, Red Bull Leipzig."

Other things on Shi's mind include the possibility of selling a stake in Wolves.

"Fosun will always be the owner or major shareholder and we don’t want to sell the club," he added.

"We want to keep it in our hands for a long time.

"But maybe in the future some minority investor will be interesting to us.

"We might need them to bring more value. It’s not only about cash, it might be that in some areas they are stronger than Fosun and can bring value to us."

Expanding Wolves' 31,000-seater Molineux home and the area around it will be crucial to generating the revenue they'll need to become a force in English football.

The coming months, therefore, are a potential pivotal moment as Wolves plot their Molineux expansion course. Leaving Molineux isn't an option on the table, the Express & Star understands.

"We need to make a crucial decision by the end of the season," Shi said.

"That doesn’t mean we’ll start to build the stadium by then, but we need to make sure we have the plan in place."

Fosun are still learning – they've not yet been in football for three years – but Wolves look to be in very safe hands.