Wolves struck transfer gold with Nuno Santo masterstroke - It won't be forgotten | OneFootball

Nuno brought Willy Boly with him from Porto to Molineux in the summer of 2017, and it proved to be a stroke of genius.

Wolves' 2017/18 Championship title winners were surely one of the all-time greatest second tier teams.

Managed by Nuno Espírito Santo, Wanderers romped to a 99-point season that year, recording their highest ever points tally for a Championship campaign.

Having finished 15th the season prior under Paul Lambert, the club's hierarchy was desperate to see big improvements the following year, and that started with their appointment of former Porto boss Nuno.

What followed was a summer of outstanding recruitment, with multiple top-class players and future stars such as Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota descending on Molineux. One of those was centre-back Willy Boly, and the defender would be instrumental to the Old Gold's unforgettable season.

Willy Boly becomes instrumental to Wolves' Premier League promotion

Following Nuno from Portuguese giants Porto, Boly signed for Wolves in the 2017 summer transfer window on loan for the duration of the season.

The big centre-back had been struggling for regular minutes with Porto, having made just seven appearances for the Dragons during the 2016/17 season. Prior to that, he'd spent a couple of years with fellow Portuguese side Braga, after joining The Archbishops in 2014 having begun his career with French outfit Auxerre.

“I’m happy to come to Wolves," Boly said in his first interview as a Wanderers player. "I want to play well with this club and I want to make history here.

“I love this country and I love the football that is played here - I have always wanted to play here in England and now it’s a dream come true for me and now I will hopefully stay here for a long time.”

Making history as a Wolves player is exactly what he'd do, as he quickly established himself as a key figure in the heart of Nuno's defence.

Whether it was a back five or a three, Boly excelled regardless of the formation or role he was asked to play. Routinely making up a centre-back trio of Conor Coady and Ryan Bennett, they helped form the most watertight defence in the Championship, as Nuno's side conceded just 39 times that season.

Comfortable playing with the ball at his feet, whether that be passing or dribbling, whilst constantly providing an attacking threat on the way to bagging three goals and two assists, Boly made his presence felt at both ends of the pitch.

He was a defender at heart though, and he was a man mountain at the back that season. Seldom was he seen on the losing end of his individual battles with opposition forwards. Boly nullified so many attacking gameplans with his height and physicality, whilst also showing himself to be a highly intelligent defender with his reading of the game.

Willy Boly joins Wolves permanently and becomes key part of Wanderers' Premier League success

As fans of many clubs who've experienced promotion to the Premier League can attest to, it's one thing getting there, but it's a whole different challenge staying there.

Having a stout and strong defence is critical to a club's chances of survival in their early days in the top flight, and Wolves knew that if they were going to have that, then signing Boly permanently had to be a priority.

That's precisely what they did, as a deal worth around £10m was agreed. Wanderers conceded just 46 goals in their first season back in the Premier League during the 2018/19 campaign, as Nuno's side became one of the surprise packages of the season by finishing seventh, securing European football for the first time since the 1980/81 season.

Boly made 36 appearances in the league that year, with no Premier League central defender winning more tackles than his 52, per FotMob. His 72 interceptions would rank him in the top 97.5 percentile of top-flight centre-backs, whilst his 248 duels won ranked him in the top 96.2 percentile - per FotMob.

He'd keep shining in the top flight for Wolves until the summer of 2022, when he called time on his Molineux career as he signed with Premier League newboys Nottingham Forest, where in December 2023, he would once again be reunited with the manager who'd help bring him so much success, Nuno.