Dave Edwards: £100m for our Wolves star Ruben Neves would not be far wrong

You could see at Newcastle how much Wolves missed him. I’ve given so much praise for him this season in my columns and I think Wolves fans know he’s a once in a generation-type player for this club.

I’m just desperate not to lose him. His consistency over the majority of this season, I generally believe he’s in the top two or three Premier League midfielders.

With that comes interest. Every club in the world should be trying to sign him but with that has to come a big price tag. We can’t sell our star player on the cheap.

Fifteen million a few years back was a big investment. Him and Bruno Lage have been a really good fit, the head coach has brought another level to his game.

I hope to God Wolves can keep hold of him. I do believe another season, hopefully taking Wolves closer to those European places next year with some more players around him, will raise his stock even higher.

There will come a point we’re not going to keep hold of him. I just hope it’s a year or two down the line. If he’s fulfilling his ability and potential there’s no way he can stay at Wolves with Barcelona, Real Madrid and top Premier League teams keen. Fans would never hold that against him.

I think Lage is almost trying to scare people off with the £100million tag, but it’s somewhere near what I’d really expect as a fan. If they get offered £80m-£90m do you take it and reinvest in the squad?

What they will try to do, I believe, is tie him down but have a release clause in there. That will surely be the only way he will sign a new deal.

It was a bitterly disappointing result on the road in an electric atmosphere at St James’ Park, like it is at Molineux for those night games.

Wolves never got out the blocks. They were very lethargic and slow in their play, first half especially, it was one of the worst first halves of the season, they didn’t have a touch in the Newcastle box in the first half.

The key area they lost was in midfield. It was a big ask to see Luke Cundle selected, especially in a midfield two but it was the only option Lage had and that really is the depth issue I wrote about in January when they needed someone in for this reason now.

Newcastle had Shelvey, Guimaraes and Joelinton and they ran all over us. I felt a bit sorry for Cundle, as a young lad you’re trying to feel your way into the game, keep the ball and he never got out of that. He played safe and that’s a big difference from a Neves playing, understandably.

It was a great learning curve for Luke. He’s been chucked into Newcastle and Spurs away, two tough matches, he’ll learn enormously and be better for it, but it might be a little too soon for those big games, particularly away.

Guimaraes was their big-money buy and he was the difference. Their version of Neves for us, with that quality.

I felt a bit sorry for Fabio Silva, he ended up as a targetman and he’s more a player that likes to link around others. He’ll be disappointed with that late header which was a good chance.

Interestingly it was the same front three that started and didn’t do very well at all at West Ham.

It was a clear penalty. The one thing you get with Jose Sa is an aggressive starting position, Wolves fans love that, it’s so different to Rui Patricio, but at times he will be caught out when rushing out. Chris Wood was clever, too.

It was a shame after a good result, Wolves could really have a push at the top six and they let themselves down again. It’s happened four or five times this season.