He was 'crying in his car' to rejoin Wolves - 11 days later he was leaving | OneFootball

Benik Afobe was reduced to tears when he sealed a return to Wolves in 2018, but just months later his permanent Molineux comeback lasted only 11 days.

Benik Afobe's second spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers is one of the strangest transfer stories in the club's modern era.

The striker became a huge fan favourite at Molineux after making the move from Arsenal in January 2015, with his form earning him a move to Premier League side Bournemouth a year later.

After a hit-and-miss period on the South Coast, though, Afobe was desperate to return to the Black Country, so much so that when his deadline-day move was confirmed in January 2018, he admitted he had been left "crying in his car."

Afobe's move would become a permanent one that summer, after helping guide Wolves to the Premier League, but in a massive shock decision, he was heading away once again just 11 days later.

Benik Afobe was 'crying in his car' after sealing Wolves return

Afobe had previously enjoyed a highly productive spell in Old Gold.

Joining from Arsenal midway through the 2014/15 Championship season, the striker formed one third of a lethal trio alongside Nouha Dicko and Bakary Sako, helping the late Kenny Jackett's side make a late push for the play-offs.

Wolves would miss out on the top six on goal difference come May, but Afone continued scoring the following season before the Premier League came calling.

After netting 23 goals in a calendar year, he joined Bournemouth for £10 million, but he failed to really get going at Dean Court - scoring just 11 times in 70 appearances for the club, while he was unable to displace either Josh King or Callum Wilson as the starting number nine.

As a result, he was desperate to join Wolves on deadline day in January 2018.

The deal itself would go to the very final stages of the evening, with the striker later explaining that he had been sitting in his car waiting for confirmation.

"I was on, then off, then on, then off, then on again with 20 minutes to go, so it was stressful," he said. "I've had two serious career-threatening injuries in football, but that six hours was probably the most difficult of my life because that's how much I wanted to come back to Wolves.

"I was in my car crying when they told me the deal was on with 20 minutes to go because I knew there was no going back now in the sense of them cancelling or the deal not being on again."

At the time, Wolves were flying at the top of the Championship, but they kept looking for the extra firepower to see them over the line.

And with this in mind, Afobe added the finishing touches to a sensational campaign for Nuno Espirito Santo's side.

Benik Afobe helped fire Wolves back to the Premier League

Afobe joined a completely different club to the one he left back in 2016.

Following his 2017 arrival, Nuno had transformed the club, with Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota, Willy Boly and a host of other arrivals helping the Old Gold establish themselves as the team to beat that term.

Afobe had to be patient for starts, but the goals soon followed during the run-in.

The striker scored six times in 16 appearances after his return, with crucial goals coming against Reading and Burton in March, as Wolves recovered from a short blip against Aston Villa and Fulham to re-announce themselves as promotion favourites.

And as Wolves were crowned champions on 21 April, he scored against Bolton in a 4-0 win, after netting the second against Birmingham the weekend prior in the promotion-winning weekend.

At the end of the positive loan spell, Wolves decided that they wanted to keep him ahead of their Premier League return, and on 1 June, the club confirmed that they had triggered the option in his loan agreement to sign him permanently for the second time, before they then shocked the nation by selling him for a second time.

Wolves sold Benik Afobe after just 11 days

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Days after the deal was completed, Stoke City emerged with an offer, with the Potters preparing for life in the Championship.

The initial deal saw him move on loan just 11 days after his Wolves signing was announced, with an obligation for the transfer to become permanent in January for £12 million.

This itself was remarkable, with Wolves showing no remorse in moving him on just months after he had shown such desire to return.

A similar move was made with the sale of Barry Douglas that summer, who joined Leeds for £3m after putting up five goals and 14 assists in the league-winning campaign.

Neither of the two deals would matter too much for Wolves, with Raul Jimenez and Jonny Otto joining in their place and taking the Old Gold to Europe, while both Afobe and Douglas are remembered fondly by fans.