It feels like an eternity ago that Rayan Ait-Nouri left Wolves for Manchester City.
Now that the transfer window has concluded, it’s a good time to look back at the summer business and assess.
Rayan Ait-Nouri was coming off the best season of his Wolves career and made it known that he wanted a new challenge, leading Wolves to agree a £35.5 million deal with the Manchester outfit.
Fer Lopez of Wolverhampton Wanderers under pressure from Rayan Ait-Nouri of Manchester City during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester City at Molineux on August 16, 2025
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Now that the club have some distance from the move, their true feelings have been revealed.
Wolves accept they could have gotten more for Rayan Ait-Nouri
£35.5 million for a left-back is hardly a small sum, but in hindsight, the club were in a strong position in negotiations and could have got more.
As the Daily Mail’s Tom Collomosse says: “City pressed the button in the build-up to the Club World Cup in June and Ait-Nouri was gone for £35.5m.
“Though Wolves are confident they extracted a competitive price, with hindsight, they accept they might have driven a harder bargain, especially with City under pressure to finalise their squad for the tournament in the United States and Liverpool paying £6m more for Milos Kerkez not long afterwards.”
🚨🔵 Rayan Aït-Nouri to Manchester City, here we go! Agreement club to club done today for total fee close to €40m.
Understand medical tests will take place on Saturday.
The left back accepted City project earlier this week as revealed and medical will take place this weekend. pic.twitter.com/0iirloVTXg
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 5, 2025
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Ait-Nouri earned his big move after years of loyal service to the Old Gold, but the fee they got for him indeed feels smaller than it should have been, given the Algerian’s talent.
But the club won’t dwell on it too long, as Collomosse explains: “The Ait-Nouri fee was still one of the highest there has been for a left wing-back and overall Wolves were happy with their work.”
Rayan Ait-Nouri’s creativity has been sorely missed by Wolves
Wolves’ biggest issue this season has been their attacking play.
They were never the strongest side out of possession last season, conceding the most of any Premier League side still in the division.
Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri of Wolverhampton Wanderers
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
But the goals of Matheus Cunha and the assists of Rayan Ait-Nouri are visibly missing from Vitor Pereira’s side.
Jorgen Strand Larsen will get goals this season, as should Tolu Arokodare. But the question is; Who will step up creatively?