Jeff Shi: Covid won’t stop Wolves becoming elite

Clubs across the land have felt the effects of the pandemic, but Wolves did not furlough any staff and Fosun’s long-term aims remain the same.

“Covid-19 has been a big issue for us all,” said chairman Shi.

“It’s an issue that has been extremely tough to handle, but we have tried our best to rise to the challenge. We’ve tried to make the staff safe; not only about their health, but also financially.

“We tried to give our players the environment to make them feel safe, make them feel looked after, as well as give the coaches and staff a better environment to allow them to do their jobs to the best.

“In the long-term, our aims are still the same. There has not been any change.

“Even in a really big pandemic that could go on for more than a year, that time frame is still a small part of our 10-year, 20-year plan.

“For our long-term aims, I’ve repeated it many times, we want to be an elite team in the world, and also a top brand in the world, but we are not in a rush.

“We want to do things steadily, step-by-step, to build the club to that level.”

Fosun are four years into their Wolves reign, and Shi said on the progress so far: “If you look back at the last four years, including the first season when I came here in the Championship in 2016/17, every season we have made some progress.

“It’s just a small step followed by a small step, consistently, continuously, persistently, going to the summit.

“Time is not our enemy; in fact, time is our friend, our best friend.

“It’s not all about short term results, it’s about getting closer to the final goal of ours; sometimes they match each other, sometimes they differ.”

Shi also took time to praise Nuno Espirito Santo and the players for their efforts last season – finishing seventh in the Premier League and reaching the Europa League quarter-finals.

“At the beginning of last season, my personal goal for the first team was to surpass the points tally of the 2018/19 season, but I said to myself it would be tough,” he added.

“In a Premier League debut season, when you reach the top seven, you actually make the next season a very hard challenge.

“I’m happy and proud of our team because they have achieved it and we’ve also got to the last eight of the Europa League – that’s not easy, which broke a long-term record for the history of Wolves.

“Also, we have seen many unforgettable moments. It’s impeccable when you see how the whole team, from players to staff, prepare every match.”