Wolves will laugh at Crystal Palace despite missing £40m cash windfall | OneFootball

Wolves held firm in their Fer Lopez stance last summer and it may pay off handsomely by the end of the season

Wolves set a £40 million asking price for Fer Lopez during the summer transfer window and it could prove crucial to their immediate return to the Premier League.

The likes of Crystal Palace and Italian side Atalanta were both interested in the Spaniard following the Old Gold’s relegation to the Championship.

But the Midlands outfit demanded a significant £40 million fee for the forward, and he ultimately stayed at Molineux after the deadline.

And he is now proving himself as a key part of Cesar Peixoto’s side, making a strong start to the new campaign in this first bunch of games before the international break.

Wolves did well to hold onto Fer Lopez

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Relegation from the Premier League, and in particular a 20th place finish, was always going to lead to an exodus of first team players for Wolves.

But Joao Gomes was the only major departure, with players such as Ki-Jana Hoever and Matt Doherty also leaving the club.

Wolves held firm on their stance regarding Lopez’s future, and that resulted in fending off Premier League and Serie A interest.

The Old Gold will not only be pleased that they’ve been able to retain so many of their players, particularly Lopez, but that they made no fuss about potentially leaving either.

Fer Lopez’s strong start to the Championship season

Wolves have played one game fewer than their rivals in this opening stretch, but Peixoto’s side are still fourth in the table, and only three points behind leaders Swansea City.

And Lopez’s strong performances have been key to their four wins in seven, as well as two draws and only one loss.

The playmaker has contributed four goals and two assists, including a brace in a 3-1 win against Preston North End and a third minute strike in their 2-2 draw against Birmingham City.

But it was his winner against West Brom in the derby before the international break that has been his standout moment of the campaign so far.

The importance of Wolves’ win against West Brom

The clash against rivals West Brom came before a three-week international break, which made it a pivotal fixture to not only earn bragging rights, but to carry a positive momentum into pause in league action.

Wolves hadn’t played the Baggies since their FA Cup clash on 28 January 2024, which they won 2-0, so it was also vital to maintain those bragging rights.

Albion had been unbeaten in the previous four Black Country derbies before the cup meeting, so ensuring a back-to-back victory has put his name in Wolves folklore.

James Morrison’s side have also made a positive start to the campaign, and the two clubs are now level on points, so a defeat would’ve put them six behind, so it was also massive for Peixoto to avoid that embarrassment.

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Fer Lopez’s impressive Wolves stats

Lopez’s performances have been easy on the eye, and they’ve also been backed up by the numbers as well.

The 22-year-old has a combined expected goals and assists (xG+xA) of 0.74 per 90, which makes him a massive threat for Wolves (all stats from Fotmob).

The Spaniard has taken 2.73 shots and created 1.67 chances on average from their opening seven fixtures, showing that he is dangerous in the final third by himself, or in creating for others.

Lopez has also completed 52.9 per cent of his dribbles, for a total of 1.37 per 90, while also putting in a solid defensive shift with 2.12 tackles and 2.88 recoveries.

It’s still early days in the season, but he is looking increasingly like a Premier League player, and if he can keep this up then perhaps he could power Wolves back to that level.