Mateus Mané applauds the Wolves fans after a match against Manchester Cityplaceholder image
Mateus Mané applauds the Wolves fans after a match against Manchester City | Wolves via Getty Images
Liverpool are among the sides said to be looking at Mateus Mané ahead of the summer transfer window - but is he really worth £50m?
The confirmation of Wolves’ relegation, which had been expected for months but which was only confirmed mathematically by West Ham’s draw away to Crystal Palace on Monday evening, won’t change all that much in terms of the way that Rob Edwards’ side approaches the summer transfer window. A fire sale and a recalibration was always in the offing.
In short, it probably hasn’t had a significant impact on the future of Mateus Mané, perhaps Wolves’ most saleable asset and almost certainly their most expensive. The young attacking midfielder’s sparkling start in the Premier League had already attracted attention as early as the January window, and teams will surely come calling once the season is over.
Liverpool have, perhaps, been the most widely linked with the 18-year-old – but are, according to a recent report from OneFootball, balking at the alleged £50m asking price. Is it a gamble the Reds should take as they look to rework an attack which failed to fire this season? Or is it too much to ask for a talented player who has lost his way in recent weeks?
Will Liverpool make a transfer bid for Wolves’ Mateus Mané?
Mané burst onto the scene over the winter, scoring in consecutive games against West Ham and showing off some thrilling talent. Scouts queued up to watch him, and Manchester United and Liverpool were among the teams alleged to be taking a long, hard look at the teenager.
Playing as an inverted winger, drifting between the flank and the number 10 position, the Lisbon-born forward – who recently switched international allegiance to Portugal after playing for England’s Under-18s – looked sharp, brave and injected into Wolves a degree of threat which had been utterly lacking across the first half of the season.
His willingness to take risks, to run at defenders and to take shooting chances from difficult positions almost immediately made him Wolves’ most exciting player. He was carrying the ball into dangerous areas with a freedom none of their more experienced attacking players possessed, backed up by a rapid burst of acceleration and shifty feet which made him a nightmare to tackle. It helped that he was a workhorse out of possession as well, pressing and tracking back tirelessly when the opposition had the ball.
Mané, in short, exhibited both the underlying traits and the productivity to be worth taking a long look at. A January move didn’t materialise, which was expected given Wolves’ position and the lack of room most clubs had to manoeuvre within the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, but a summer departure seemed almost inevitable.
Now, the picture is a little murkier. If Wolves are indeed planning to stand firm on a £50m asking price, then signing Mané would represent a significant gamble on an ultimately unproved player who hasn’t scored again since hitting the back of the net twice back in January. Liverpool are rumoured to remain interested, but has his downturn been sharp enough to dissuade them from taking a chance?
Why Liverpool might want to think twice before signing Mané this summer
If Mané’s early performances in the old gold demonstrated immense potential, then the last couple of months have provided cause for concern. Mané’s impact has diminished as the season has worn on.
In his last five Premier League appearances, he has completed just three dribbles. He didn’t even attempt to beat a defender once against either Liverpool or Brentford. Considering he was taking opponents on up to a dozen times a match when he first came in, that’s rather worrying.
In that same five-match period, he’s only attempted four shots on goal, also a noticeable drop-off. Whether this is because a player with talent but also limitations is being ‘found out’ by defences who now know what’s coming, or whether it’s simply a case of a young player losing his confidence and being dragged down by a bad team – he would hardly be the first – is a question that teams like Liverpool have to answer.
Liverpool’s evaluation of Mané is also complicated by the emergence of Rio Ngumoha, who plays in a similar role and has also flashed considerable quality in his occasional appearances so far. Given the many needs which have to be addressed with the squad, it’s easy to wonder whether spending £50m on a player who may be competing directly with an existing home-grown talent is worth it.
That isn’t necessarily a consideration for sides like Manchester United, but for such a vast transfer fee most teams who are looking at Mané will want at least some immediate production, and this is a player who hasn’t scored or provided a goal in any of his last 12 league appearances. The talent is there, but the short-term return on investment may not be.
Do Liverpool have the spending power this summer to gamble on a prospect like Mané without the expenditure detracting from their efforts to overhaul other parts of the team? Perhaps – only their backroom staff know where the transfer budget stands right now. The fact remains, however, that Mané has both shone on the biggest stage and given potential suitors reasons to doubt whether he’s worth £50m.
If Liverpool or others decide against entering the bidding at that price point, it will be interesting to see what Wolves do. Accept a lower offer to begin the process of overhauling their squad in the second tier, or keep Mané and hope that he can be the catalyst for an immediate return to the top flight? That, too, would be a gamble based on what we’ve seen so far. Mané’s future, on and off the pitch, remains distinctly uncertain as it stands.
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