Blog: Have Wolves ever had so much potential?

He has definitely got to be up there. The signing of Rui Patricio was a watershed moment but getting Joao Moutinho in for £5 million is a transfer that has turned even more heads than his compatriot’s move a month or so prior.

These are the first signings of a new mission under Fosun. In the Championship they raised eyebrows with fantastic deals in the first steps of their plan.

They brought in players who hadn’t fully established themselves at elite clubs, such as Ivan Cavaleiro and Helder Costa.

The next summer they brought in talents who were highly rated but young, such as Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota et al.

Wolves were extremely astute in the above transfers, as well as others – but this summer the focus has thus-far been on names that are already high profile and in their prime.

Wolves’ concentration on signing players from the Portuguese league is akin to the fable of The Three Little Pigs. The ‘big bad wolf’ had already ‘blown down’ the houses of Benfica and Porto.

That’s where the similarities end, as unlike the third pig, Sporting were unable to withstand Wolves and their internal disorder has led to Wolves snapping up one of their prized assets for free (as it stands), the previously one-club man Rui.

These sorts of signings aren’t going to just turn the heads of fans and other clubs. Each time a high-profile player joins Wolves, this will only increase the chances of others choosing Wolves and joining the project.

Similarly, this could have a positive effect internally for players who may have initially saw Wolves as a stepping stone to higher clubs.

Surely the likes of Rui Patricio and Joao Moutinho in their prime will make Ruben Neves think twice about leaving next summer if he makes his mark in the Premier League.

He is a key figure at Wolves and integral to the blueprint of what Fosun want to achieve.

Wolves are putting their money where their mouth is, and Ruben has pledged his desire to stay past this summer, when it could have been expected that he moves on.

It is not a ludicrous suggestion any more to think Wolves can’t go to the same places Ruben, Diogo Jota and others have ambitions to go.

These sorts of players will have a great impact on the development of some of Wolves’ best young prospects.

The likes of Ryan Giles and Morgan Gibbs-White can only benefit from being around such players, who have experience at the elite levels of the game unlike Wolves have had since Denis Irwin and Paul Ince.

Add all this to the fact Wolves have a stadium with a great capacity potential and a state-of-the-art training ground, things are looking rosy at the moment.

When you see some of the other business being done in the Premier League – up to £50 million for Richarlison, who didn’t manage an assist or goal this calendar year – you realise how smart Fosun are being.