Wolves sent him away in January – now West Brom have paid the price | OneFootball

Fer Lopez's fine start to the season continued in the biggest of games for Wolves on Sunday

Wolverhampton Wanderers are heading into the season's first international break on cloud nine after seeing off West Bromwich Albion in the Black Country derby.

Although some felt that Sunday's contest between Wolves and the Baggies would be a close contest that represented their similar starts to the Championship season, it was one-way traffic for the vast majority of the 90 minutes at Molineux.

Cesar Peixoto's newly-relegated outfit have already been at the front and centre of some compelling moments so far this season, and Fer Lopez's winner in WV1 on Sunday was certainly another, although much of that was down to the mishap in the West Brom rearguard.

While the playmaker's remarkable start to the campaign on an individual level perhaps proves that there is a significant gulf in quality when looking at the squad at the Portuguese's disposal when at full throttle compared to divisional rivals, it isn't exactly one which many saw coming just a few short months ago.

Fer Lopez's first season as a Wolves player was one of mixed fortunes

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Wanderers' struggles under Vitor Pereira and then Rob Edwards last season have been well-documented, as they finished rock-bottom of the Premier League on 20 points.

Having broken into Celta Vigo's first-team fold in 2024/25, it was clear that Lopez was, by no means, the finished article when Wolves opted to part with £19m to secure his services on a five-year contract.

Naturally, the attacking midfielder admitted that he'd 'dreamt' of a move to the Premier League, but after making just two starts and nine overall appearances, question marks over his long-term future were already raised when he returned to the Balaidos Stadium eight months ago, scoring just once in 17 appearances for his former club.

Wolves resisted strong Fer Lopez exit talk in summer transfer window

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Naturally, for any side relegated from the Premier League to the Championship, Wolves ran the risk of losing several high-quality players this summer.

Joao Gomes was the only one who fell into said category, though, as he moved to local rivals, Aston Villa, for an initial £34m, whilst the Old Gold were able to tie Andre down to a new contract and also resist strong interest in the young duo of Mateus Mane and Lopez.

It had been widely reported that the Spanish Under-21 international had expressed his desire to leave the club, with the likes of Celta Vigo, Benfica and Porto credited with interest.

Wolves were, to their current pleasure, able to continue batting away interest as the window drew to a close, even reportedly placing a £40m price-tag on their star performer's name amid late interest from UEFA Conference League champions, Crystal Palace.

Cesar Peixoto's Fer Lopez decision has paid dividends in Wolves' Championship start

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Whilst there are still areas in which Peixoto will look to improve his tactical decisions as the campaign continues, his stance of wanting Lopez to be at the beating heart of his Wolves side has certainly been vindicated in the season's first month.

It is hard to dispute that any other Championship player has come close to matching the Madrid-born ace's performance levels and output ahead of the international break, and he has now gone down in folklore in the history of the Black Country derby to go with such feats.

After producing a sublime assist for Marshall Munetsi in the second tier's curtain-raiser against Blackburn Rovers, Lopez himself has netted four fine goals and provided another neat assist for Jordan James against Stoke City on August 29th.

Explaining his finish against Albion after Wolves forced Nat Phillips into a high-profile error, Lopez said: “It was very satisfying because since pre-season we weren’t getting the press right, but we made quite a few changes.

"I knew if I did a little dink it would go over because the keeper would rush. I nearly squared it to Arma (Adam Armstrong), but I knew a little dink would do it.”

Wolves fans will be excited by Cesar Peixoto's latest Fer Lopez verdict

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Sunday was arguably Wolves' most complete performance of the season to date, with the scoreline certainly flattering West Brom who were kept in the game by Max O'Leary's goalkeeping heroics.

Having registered six goal contributions in eight matches, with two of his four goals also coming in high-tempo clashes with Albion and Birmingham City, it is rather frightening to think of the numbers which Lopez can still produce in the season's remaining 38 games if his confidence stays full to the brim.

Wolves fans will also be even more excited by what could come as a result of Peixoto's post-match admission, as he claimed "he (Lopez) can do better!

“He played well, but he can do better, all the time I want more from him and all the players.”

In what could be a blessing in disguise for Wolves, Lopez has not been called up for international duty, meaning that after a prolific, but relentless opening month of the season, the club's prized asset can rest and recuperate ahead of the next batch of fixtures, where he will hope to continue causing maximum damage to opposition defences.