Wolverhampton Wanderers will be looking to strengthen their squad when the summer transfer window opens in June.
Vitor Pereira looks to have done enough to retain the Old Gold’s status in the Premier League as they sit nine points clear of Leicester City.
vitor pereira
Ahead of next season, can the manager tempt some high-profile players to join the club? As they have been linked with someone who used to shine at Molineux…
Wolves' interest in Diogo Jota
It was reported earlier this month by TEAMtalk that Wolves were showing interest in former hero Diogo Jota, with Pereira keen on signing him this summer.
This season, the Portuguese star has scored eight goals while grabbing four assists in 29 matches for Liverpool, but it appears as though Arne Slot could cash in on him when the season is over.
Liverpool striker Diogo Jota
His three-year spell in the Midlands was extremely productive, registering 63 goal contributions in just 131 matches for the club. He was sold to Liverpool for £41m, which was a deal too good to turn down.
Could he return before the start of next season? Only time will tell.
Diogo Jota's Premier League statistics this season
Goals
Assists
Key passes per game
Big chances created
Successful dribbles per game
Shots per game
Via Sofascore
Does Pereira need to splash the cash on him, however? The club could be brewing their next Jota in a talented 20-year-old with the world at his feet.
Leo Lopes could be Wolves’ next Diogo Jota
The club are developing a few highly-rated youngsters, none more so than Leo Lopes. Signed in the summer of 2023, the Portuguese talent is similar to Jota in that he can operate across a range of attacking positions.
Used on either wing or through the middle during his embryonic career thus far, Lopes has scored once and grabbed five assists for the U21 side since his arrival in England.
He was praised by Harry Hooman, head of the UK academy at Wolves when he arrived at the club:
“Leo is an exciting attack-minded player who can operate on either wing. He makes things happen with his ability and athleticism in one v one situations. He is also prepared to do the other side of the game and shows good intensity and desire to defend out of possession.”
These qualities are certainly like the ones Jota exuded during his spell with the Molineux side between 2017 and 2020, no doubt about that.
The former Zurich starlet has yet to make a matchday squad for Wolves since swapping Switzerland for England, but surely the time will come sooner rather than later.
Once it is mathematically possible that the club will remain in the top flight, Pereira might begin to give some of the club’s more talented youngsters some minutes in the league.
In the pipeline
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
If so, Lopes must be at the top of the list. His positional flexibility, plus a keen eye for creating chances for his teammates suggest he could be the club’s next Jota, without a shadow of a doubt.
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He could be their Lemina replacement...