Introduction
For the first time in nearly a decade, Wolves wake up in the Championship. The European nights under Nuno feel a long way off, replaced by away days at Swansea, Cardiff and Wrexham, and the slow-motion decline that got us here was years in the making: poor recruitment under Jeff Shi and FOSUN, a squad that downed tools once the drop was confirmed, and a manager in Rob Edwards still trying to stamp his identity on the place.
There are reasons for optimism, though. As a freshly relegated club, we land with parachute payments and some of the highest revenues in the division, and the new Squad Cost Ratio rules let us spend up to 85% of those revenues, so for once the regulations work in our favour. Add a six-team playoff, the return of the Black Country derby and, mercifully, no VAR, and the brief is simple: get back up at the first attempt, ideally automatically. Here’s how I’d go about it, everyone heading out and everyone I’d bring in, with the fees behind both. My full plan is available to view here.
Outgoings
José Sá — The better shot-stopper of our two sweeper-keepers, but surplus to requirements and one who should move on this summer.
Sam Johnstone — More willing to receive and play out from the back, yet equally expendable as we overhaul the goalkeeping department.
Ladislav Krejčí — The ball-playing centre-back won’t fancy second-tier football, so we cash in at ~£20–25m.
Santiago Bueno — Our player of the season in a dismal year will have suitors, so we sell for ~£15m.
Yerson Mosquera — Phenomenal numbers for his role and simply too good for the Championship, so sell for ~£10–15m.
Matt Doherty — A decade of service ends on a free release after his legs, and his Wolves-themed Instagram posts, finally gave way.
Jackson Tchatchoua — Defensively woeful with a dreadful overall profile, so take what we can at ~£5–10m and move on.
David Møller Wolfe — A long-term future here, but he needs top-league minutes for his international ambitions, so loaned out for the year.
Hugo Bueno — Quietly one of the best full-backs in Europe on the data and a real market opportunity, so don’t be shocked to see ~£15m from Brighton or Brentford.
Angel Gomes — A January gamble that never delivered the minutes, returning to his parent club at the end of his loan.
João Gomes — Already one foot out the door to Atlético Madrid for £40m, arguably our best player of recent seasons earns his big move in a tidy piece of business.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde — Improved, but never suited to English football and now unfollowing the club, so move him on for ~£10–15m.
Hee-Chan Hwang — The data’s poor, the eye test agrees and the fans have had enough, so a ~£10m exit suits everyone.
Tolu Arokodare — Three goals isn’t good enough for a £25m striker the club already want gone, so we recoup ~£15m if we can.
Marshall Munetsi — A face of the failed Pereira rebuild who’s rebuilt his stock on loan in France, so sell back there for ~£10m.
Estimated sales total: ~£150–170m
Incomings
Viktor Johansson (GK) — The best goalkeeper in the Championship by a mile, prised from Stoke if that ~£15–20m release clause I have estimated proves real.
Amando Lapage (CB) — A Belgian breakthrough centre-back and long-term Toti replacement who fits the ball-playing brief for just ~£800k.
Leo Greiml (CB) — The best pure defender in the Netherlands last year for under a million, injury record permitting, at ~£900k.
Kieran Trippier (RB) — A free transfer, homegrown, and exactly the experienced head to mentor Pedro Lima and restore the leadership we’ve badly missed.
Josh Tymon (LB) — One of the division’s best left-backs, homegrown and versatile enough to cover overlapper too, for ~£10m.
Frans Krätzig (LWB) — An ambitious but gettable swoop for a young German tempted by a route back to the Premier League, at ~£2.8m.
Nestory Irankunda (LW) — A work-permit-cleared, injury-free 20-year-old and one of last season’s most underrated Championship wingers, at ~£8m.
Tomás Bobcek (ST) — One of Europe’s sharpest goalscorers last season and a rising Slovakia international, secured for ~£7m.
Estimated spend total: ~£45–50m
Conclusion
Put together, this is a squad built around Stockport County’s lifecycle model: a full 20 with six U21s ready to step in, the homegrown quota addressed, and enough flexibility to switch into the back-four 4-2-3-1 I expect Edwards to favour as the dominant side in the division. Sell well, reinvest smartly inside the £75m ceiling, and there’s no reason a return shouldn’t come quickly.
Is Rob Edwards the man to take us back to the Nuno-era heights? Probably not, but he’s the right man to steady the ship for a few years while we rebuild properly, and get this window right and the climb back could be the start of something. The full plan has the reasoning behind it all: the data and percentile profiles, three more targets for every role, the SCR budget maths, the academy pipeline and my projected starting XI for 2026-27. The link’s below, and I’ll be back with a post-window review once the business is done. If you have any feedback, positive or negative, feel free to message me @DiggoryEthan or @scoutingww on Twitter/X.
Wolves Ay We!
