Wolves youngster Luke Matheson has been told he can play for England – and surprise his Molineux team-mates by challenging for a first-team place next season. Bolton manager Keith Hill gave the 17-year-old right wing back his debut at just 15 at Rochdale from where Wolves have snapped him up for an initial £1m last month. Matheson has returned to the League One club on loan for the rest of the season. The youngster has made just 19 League appearances and 32 in total. But Hill, 50, is convinced the teenager, who has already played for England Under-18s, will represent…
Former Wolves captain Sam Ricketts has compared the pressure of playing for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool to being at Molineux in League One. Ricketts, now managing Shrewsbury Town, recently took the Premier League champions-elect to an FA Cup fourth round replay, which they lost 1-0 at Anfield after forcing a 2-2 draw at Montogmery Waters Meadow. The replay drew massive focus as Klopp elected to play his Under-23s team and was not even present as his first team were on their winter break. Ricketts had a half-hour chat with the Liverpool manager after their first game and understood the German’s reasoning…
Wolves sporting director Kevin Thelwell admits it has been a ‘pleasure and a privilege’ to work for the club as he prepares to leave for a new challenge in the United States with New York Red Bulls. The 46-year-old, who has been at Wolves for more than 11 years, is to leave this month to take up the newly-created role as head of sport at New York Red Bulls. Thelwell first came to Molineux as as Academy manager, then head of football development and recruitment, before becoming sporting director in 2016. In August last year, Thelwell was appointed to the…
Nuno Espirito Santo has suggested Wolves’ longest break of the season came at the right time for Willy Boly and Diogo Jota. Wolves go to Manchester United on Saturday after a nine-day break since their last game – their longest spell between fixtures since the close season after losing 2-1 to Liverpool a week last Thursday. Boly was an unused substitute against the Premier League leaders on his return to the matchday 18 after missing 20 matches in three months with a broken ankle. Jota made his return from the bench as a late replacement for Pedro Neto. The Molineux…
Leicester-bound Wolves defender Ryan Bennett has revealed his mate James Maddison helped persuade him to go to King Power Stadium. The 29-year-old centre-back has joined the Champions League contenders on loan for the rest of the season with a view to a £5m permanent move in the summer. Bennett arrives at King Power Stadium after playing 19 times in all competitions for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side this season, scoring once in the UEFA Europa League. The former Grimsby and Peterborough man gave Wolves sterling service, playing in 92 games in all competitions, winning the Championship in his first season after…
Wolves’ new boy Luke Matheson might have just passed his driving test – but he has also ditched his L plates on the pitch. The exciting right back signed for Wolves in a £1m deal on transfer deadline day and has been loaned back to Rochdale for the rest of the season to continue his development in League One. Now he has learned to drive, that will save him time getting to train with Dale. “I only passed my driving test yesterday and that was something I’ve been trying to do since I turned 17,” said the England Under-18 international.…
Wolves believe Luke Matheson is tailor made for them after signing him from League One side Rochdale for £1m. The highly-rated 17-year-old right back completed his medical and agreed terms in Wolverhampton on Friday, and will now spend the rest of the season back on loan at Spotland before returning to Wolves for pre-season training. The England Under-18 international is a graduate of Dale’s academy and has now played 24 first-team games after a rapid rise to the first-team in the past 12 months. At 15, he became Rochdale’s youngest player when making his debut against Bury and this season…
Wolves winger Jordan Graham has been told he can be the best deadline signing in League One after Gillingham saw off higher level competition for his signature. The 24-year-old has signed for Steve Evans’s outfit for the rest of the season and could make his Gills debut in their next game on Saturday, February 8 when they visit Burton Albion. They are currently 12th, six points and six places off the play-offs after a 10-match unbeaten run in the league stretching back to November 23, but Coventry, who occupy the final play-off spot, have played two games in hand. Graham…
Wolves’ young striker Benny Ashley-Seal has vowed to go for goals after securing his first loan move, at Accrington Stanley. The 21-year-old, who has grabbed 20 goals in 37 appearances for the Under-23s, including a hat-trick against Carlisle United in this season’s Leasing.com Trophy, has joined the League One club until the end of the season. Ashley-Seal signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract with Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in January 2019, before he was loaned out to Portuguese side Famalicao. The Southwark-born striker made his full debut for Wolves earlier this month in the FA Cup third round tie at home…
Birmingham City suffered a double last-ditch deadline day setback after two Wolves players turned down loan moves to St Andrew’s. Bright Enobakhare rejected the chance to join Pep Clotet’s side on Thursday over personal terms. Blues then came back in for the 21-year-old forward in the hours before the January transfer window shut, only for Enobakhare to again turn down the chance to move to the Championship to the end of the season. After failing to entice the Nigerian, Blues came in for Wolves Under-23s striker Renat Dadashov. But the German-born Ajerbaijan forward also felt the move wasn’t right for…