Johnny Phillips: Fosun frustrations forced Wolves into major reset
The strangest summer under Fosun’s ownership since their first one in Wolverhampton back in 2016 has just passed. Now, as the Premier League takes its early international break there is a moment to take stock of a difficult few months and look at the challenges ahead.
It would require more spin than Shane Warne imparted on his ball to Mike Gatting at Old Trafford back in 1993 to suggest this was a good transfer window for the club. Wolves’ first team squad was decimated with seven established first team squad members moved on.
How many of the new arrivals are genuinely starting XI ready?
Matt Doherty can certainly be called upon but it will be fascinating to see if Gary O’Neil hangs his hat on any of the others for starting places in the Premier League despite the obvious promise that comes with the new arrivals.
“We didn’t manage to achieve all our targets,” admitted Wolves’ head coach in advance of the Crystal Palace defeat, in a clear reference to the failure to bring in a striker, which he had identified as a priority during his early days here.
That Wolves were ineffective in this position at Selhurst Park, with Fabio Silva at number nine, was perhaps indicative of the issue.
The elephant in the room during this entire summer period has been the lack of investment from the ownership which the Wolverhampton-based hierarchy previously believed would be forthcoming.
This would have made any Premier League profit and sustainability issues redundant and allowed Wolves to act quite freely in the transfer market. But Fosun withheld funding – for reasons entirely within their rights – and instead changed strategy, demanding a clear and significant profit from the summer window.
Fosun chairman Guo Guangchang, in particular, is believed to have become frustrated at the lack of return on investment in recent transfer windows and believes the club should be standing on its own two feet.
