Nottingham Forest confirm player exit - Wolves fans must still love him | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at how departing Nottingham Forest defender Willy Boly became a fan favourite at Wolves

While football fans tend to be more interested in finding out who their club is bringing in at this time of year, the publication of retained lists offers an insight as to where their team may need to recruit, as well as putting other clubs on alert for potential free transfers.

Nottingham Forest are the latest club in England to release their retained list, and one notable inclusion is former Wolves defender Willy Boly.

It comes as no surprise after the centre-back made just 11 appearances for Forest in the last two seasons combined as a mixture of injuries and squad competition saw Boly's opportunities limited.

The now 35-year-old never quite endeared himself to the City Ground faithful like he did with Wolves supporters, who must still hold significant affection for the Ivorian.

Boly was crucial in Wolves' rise to European football

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Cast your mind back to the summer of 2017 and, despite finishing a meagre 15th place in the Championship in the previous season, Wolves were heading into the 2017/18 campaign as one of the favourites for promotion to the Premier League.

That was the start of the Portuguese revolution at Molineux as the club hired Nuno Espirito Santo as their new manager while spending a then-record fee of £15.8million on midfielder Ruben Neves as well as bringing in Diogo Jota, initially on loan from Atletico Madrid.

Although not as big a name, Willy Boly proved to be one of the most inspired additions that summer, joining on loan from Porto.

The towering defender made 36 appearances in the Championship that season, scoring three goals, including one in an important 3-0 win at Leeds United, as the West Midlands outfit won the league to seal promotion back to the top-flight for the first time in six years.

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Boly's loan was then made permanent in the summer of 2018 for a fee in the region of £10million and Wolves never looked back.

In their first Premier League season, Espirito Santo's team finished seventh, qualifying for the Europa League, as well as reaching the FA Cup semi-final.

The following campaign, Wolves reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League while securing another seventh place finish.

Boly, was a kingpin in the Molineux club's rise, going on to make a total of 147 appearances before his move across the Midlands to Nottingham Forest in 2022. He will be forever considered a modern great at Wolves.

Wolves have already re-signed one hero this summer

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After a torrid campaign which saw their eight-year stay in the Premier League come to an end, Wolves will be looking to bounce back at the first time of asking and have already made an impressive start to the summer transfer window to appease supporters.

The West Midlands outfit confirmed the addition of former England right-back Kieran Trippier on a free transfer from Newcastle United earlier this week.

Amid much speculation, on Tuesday night Wolves announced the return of another modern club legend in Raúl Jiménez, also on a free transfer after leaving Fulham.

The Mexican striker scored 57 goals and registered 23 assists in 166 appearances for Wolves, having been one of the marquee arrivals the summer after promotion was secured.

Wolves fans would undoubtedly love more nostalgia and see the return of another favourite in Willy Boly. However, the chances of the Ivorian rediscovering the same form that made him such a success at Molineux is unlikely.

The 35-year-old missed virtually the entirety of last season with a serious knee injury, having last played in a cameo performance against Real Betis in September.