Wolves’ eventual £13m European transfer swoop was the beginning of the end of their EFL stay | OneFootball

Helder Costa was the first signing under Wolves' new regime in 2016. The electric winger laid down the foundations of what was to come at Molineux.

The summer of 2016 marked a new era for Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Chinese investment group Fosun International purchasing the club for a reported £45 million.

The first arrival, as the club took a new direction, was Helder Costa, borrowed from Benfica.

The then-Portuguese under-23 international was stepping into a club that had become synonymous with mid-table inertia.

Fosun themselves brought an ambitious roadmap with them, alongside a pocketful of super-agent phone numbers. However, the man who signified the beginning of a new dawn at Molineux was a 22-year-old winger with everything to prove.

Costa was the first through the door that summer, but not the last. Thirteen players arrived, but the electric winger proved undoubtedly to be the pick of the bunch, who set the club's entire trajectory on a launchpad.

Helder Costa - From unknown quality to undisputed star

In a season of churn, Costa was one of the only constants. Wolves cycled through three managers in Walter Zenga, Rob Edwards and Paul Lambert, and the club flirted with the bottom end of the table more than the top.

Costa himself thrived. He danced and drove past defenders, racking up 12 goals and 11 assists across all competitions.

By January, the verdict was in. Wolves paid £13 million to make Costa's loan permanent, a club-record fee at the time.

A standout performance came in the FA Cup at Anfield. Costa tore through Jürgen Klopp's backline and registered two first-half assists as Wolves raced into a two-goal lead.

He would miss the end of the season after an ankle injury and subsequent surgery, and Wolves would go on to finish 15th. However, the deal to bring in such a talent had opened the door.

The project at Molineux was worth looking at for players across the continent.

The foundations of a promotion push

By the summer of 2017, the plan to take Wolves back to the Premier League was fully in motion. Costa remained, joined now by a flood of Jorge Mendes-aligned talent, with Fosun carrying a strong relationship with the Portuguese super agent.

Nuno Espírito Santo took charge of the club in May, and supporters felt that, finally, they could believe.

Ruben Neves arrived for £15.8 million alongside Diogo Jota, Willy Boly, Ruben Vinagre and Leo Bonatini. Even the more modest additions of John Ruddy, Barry Douglas and Ryan Bennett felt purposeful.

Costa, recovering from injury, played a supporting role in Nuno's title-winning campaign with five goals and six assists as Wolves surged towards the Championship crown with 99 points.

They weren't just the best team; they looked like a Premier League side playing in the wrong division.

Costa, once the poster boy, had become more of a supporting act; however, the wideman was a more than valuable cog in a well-oiled Wolves machine.

The Premier League and a changing cast

In the top flight, Wolves held their own and then some. Seventh place, Europa League qualification, famous wins against Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United. Almost a decade of stagnation was shed in a single season.

Costa's influence began to fade. He made 30 appearances across all competitions but struggled to match the explosiveness of his early Wolves days. In the summer of 2019, he moved to Leeds United on loan, with the deal becoming permanent a year later for a reported £16 million.

However, Wolves' £13 million European swoop for Helder Costa marked the beginning of the end of their stay in the lower leagues.

He didn't become a Premier League icon, nor was he a long-term star. But Costa's arrival marked a philosophical shift, the first true sign that Wolves were preparing to leave the Championship behind altogether.

Costa was the gateway player recruited for big money at a time when Wolves had no obvious right to think so big.

And in the end, that is exactly why he's remembered so fondly at Molineux. Not as a legend, but as the first step in Wolves' climb to the Premier League.