In a summer that saw too many important players exit Molineux, Vitor Pereira says there’s one Wolves player he didn’t even know about.
It’s always nice to be surprised. Reaching into your pocket and finding a £5 note, opening the fridge to discover some leftovers from the night before, or realising you have an exciting young defender in your squad at a Premier League club. We’ve all been there.
Apparently, that’s what happened to Vitor Pereira, with a player who was on loan returning to Wolves.
Vitor Pereira didn’t know Ki-Jana Hoever was a Wolves player
Ki-Jana Hoever spent last season on loan at Auxerre in Ligue 1. The 23-year-old moved to Wolves from Liverpool when he was just 18, and in the years since, he’s struggled to carve out a spot in the team.
He has had stints at PSV Eindhoven and Stoke City in recent seasons, but now, he has returned to Molineux and looks set to stay for the season.
Ki-Jana Hoever takes a throw in for Wolves.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
And the Wolves boss had no idea that he had the player, as he revealed to E&S: “Ki will stay with us. I like him, it was a surprise for me because I didn’t know that he was our player.
“Imagine, I was looking for a wing-back and they told me we have a player in France.”
Hoever has impressed Pereira in pre-season, but he will have to fight for a consistent place in the side.
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Wolves are closing in on Jackson Tchatchoua from Hellas Verona, and the new signing is being brought in for that Semedo role.
Rodrigo Gomes of Wolverhampton Wanderers (L) celebrates after scoring his team's third goal with Pedro Lima during the Stateside Cup pre-season match between West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at EverBank Stadium on July 27, 2024
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Hoever has shown flashes of quality in pre-season, but the consistency needs to be worked on. Rodrigo Gomes also wants to start at wing-back, and don’t forget about Brazilian youngster Pedro Lima, who now needs a loan given the numbers in that position.
The arrival of Tchatchoua will kick off a three-way battle that is sure to push all of the contenders to up their levels and earn Pereira’s favour.