The January transfer window can be a lifeline or a lottery, especially for a club like Wolverhampton Wanderers, where winter deals have been saviours, mistakes, and everything in between. While January signings like Matheus Cunha and João Gomes have helped steady seasons, others have flopped badly, combining limited impact, poor timing or unfortunate circumstances to earn themselves the dubious honour of being among Wolves’ worst mid-season additions. Here are five transfers that left fans scratching their heads.
5 – Mike Williamson (January 2016)
A familiar face after a loan spell from Newcastle, Mike Williamson’s permanent move in January 2016 looked like a low-risk reinforcement at the back. However, injury struck almost immediately, meaning he failed to make a single appearance after signing his 18-month deal and wasn’t even given a squad number the following season. When he did finally return from injury, his limited appearances were forgettable, and he left the club in 2017 having barely contributed on the pitch.
4 – Tomasz Frankowski – (January 2006)
Billed by the manager Glenn Hoddle as “the missing piece of the jigsaw” for Wolves’ lack of firepower up front, Polish striker Tomasz Frankowski arrived with a decent goal record in both Poland and Spain. But at Molineux, he became known as the “Pole without a goal”, after failing to score for Wolves before being loaned out and eventually released.
3 – Nasser Djiga – (January 2025)
Signed from Red Star Belgrade during the 2024/25 season with genuine hopes of strengthening the back line, Nasser Djiga’s impact was minimal during the half-season in Wolverhampton, making just five appearances before being sent out on loan to Rangers, where he has made just 11 appearances in all competitions. £10 million spent on 16 games of football, and most of them were for another club.
2 – Eggert Jónsson – (January 2012)
Iceland international Eggert Jónsson arrived as Wolves battled to avoid relegation from the Premier League, but the move barely moved the needle. Though a versatile player, he made just seven first-team appearances across all competitions, and his contract was terminated with two years remaining on his deal—a classic example of a January deal that didn’t pay off.
1 – Willian José (January 2021)
Topping this unwanted list is Brazilian forward Willian José, who joined on loan with a strong goalscoring record in Spain. Expectations were high after the injury to Raúl Jiménez. Yet in England, he only managed the one goal against Sheffield United before returning to Real Sociedad that summer, after failing to provide the attacking spark Wolves needed, leaving Wolves fans frustrated by a deal that looked good on paper but flopped in reality.
January windows can be notoriously tricky for Wolves, whether scrambling to stave off relegation or trying to push for Europe. While some signings have rewritten seasons, others on this list remind us of the risks involved when deals must be done quickly. From injury-ruined defenders to misfiring forwards and players who never really got going, these five January arrivals stand out for all the wrong reasons in Molineux memory.
