9 Wolves players surely keen to escape the club by September 1st | OneFootball

A look at nine players who will surely be keen to move away from Wolverhampton Wanderers before the end of the transfer window.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are rebuilding themselves ahead of a return to the Championship for the first time in close to a decade.

After circling the drain of Premier League relegation, Wolves eventually fell through the trapdoor and emphatically so as they finished rock-bottom in the top-flight last season.

Since then, Rob Edwards has surprisingly departed the club, which was said to disgruntle new signing Kieran Trippier, replaced by former Gil Vicente boss Cesar Peixoto.

As well as Trippier, Wolves have also brought back Mexico international striker Raul Jimenez on a free transfer from Fulham and they have signed Rafiki Said from Standard Liege for a fee believed to be in the region of £7.7 million, while Czechia captain Ladislav Krejci has made his loan move a permanent one from Girona.

In terms of outgoings, Wolves have seen youngsters James Storer and Alfie Pond depart for Plymouth Argyle and Chesterfield respectively with Nigel Lonwijk moving to Maccabi Haifa for an undisclosed fee. Joao Gomes has been their only big money sale thus far, with the Brazil international joining midlands rivals Aston Villa.

Matty Doherty is one of several other players to leave the club at the end of their contract with the experienced Republic of Ireland international full-back moving to Sheffield United.

There remains quite a few players that, on the face of it, would be playing a level below their standard, such as Joao Gomes’ Brazil teammate Andre, but the former Fluminense midfielder has instead, surprisingly, signed a new contract at Molineux.

Unlike Andre, though, there will still surely be quite a few players that will want to depart the club this summer and FLW has listed nine of those that must surely be pushing for a move away before the close of the summer transfer window.

Jose Sa

Action Images

Jose Sa staying in the Championship would be a bit of a coup for the club and the appointment of compatriot Cesar Peixoto may have been tempting to the former Portugal international shot stopper.

However, Sa has already been heavily linked with moves to both Olympiacos this summer, and his departure seems almost inevitable at this stage.

Sa joined Wolves from Olympiacos in the summer of 2021 and he has gone on to make 170 appearances for the club across all competitions but, turning 34 mid-way through the season, Sa will want to head into his latter years as a ‘number one’ in a top-flight in Europe, and Olympiacos would provide that as they get set to sell Konstantinos Tzolakis to Hull City, newly-promoted to the Premier League.

Sam Johnstone

Action images

Having been linked with a return to Manchester United earlier this summer, and that ship now surely sailing with The Red Devils instead signing Karl Darlow for cover, Sam Johnstone must be desperate to get out of Molineux this summer.

The probable departure of Sa could change things but Wolves still have former Bristol City man Dan Bentley in their squad and so Johnstone’s promotion to being first-choice would not be automatic.

Johnstone has endured a tough time of it since moving to Wolves from Crystal Palace in 2024 and he will surely be keen to return to being first-choice somewhere, having come in and out of the side during his time at Wolves.

Ki-Jana Hoever

Action Images

The goalkeeping situation is a tricky one but a bit more straightforward is that former Liverpool defender Ki-Jana Hoever will surely be keen on finding an exit this summer.

The versatile Dutchman joined Wolves in 2020 but has rarely ever been a first-choice selection, having spent time out on loan at PSV Eindhoven, Stoke City, Auxerre and Sheffield United in the last few seasons.

Hoever may prove to be useful at the lower level in the Championship, as he did show at both Stoke and with The Blades, but his tough time of it at Wolves is unlikely to make staying around overly appealing for the 24-year-old.

David Moller Wolfe

Action Image

Having been first-choice left-back for Stale Solbakken’s Norway, who reached the quarter-finals of FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America this summer, David Moller Wolfe appeared to rediscover the form that earned him a Premier League move last year.

Wolfe joined Wolves from Eredivisie outfit AZ Alkmaar last season but, after a difficult first half of the campaign, found himself below Hugo Bueno in the pecking-order at Molineux.

Wolfe wouldn’t have expected to be playing second-tier football 12 months ago and after his performances over the summer, that belief will surely further be emboldened, leading him to likely push for a move away before the end of the window.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde

Action Images

Another player who played at FIFA World Cup 2026 is Haiti international midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, who was one of Wolves’ more reliable performers in what was a woeful campaign last season.

Bellegarde, who provides a usefulness with his energy and versatility from the middle of the park, joined Wolves from Strasbourg in the summer of 2023 and he has gone on to make close to 100 appearances for the club.

It may well be that Cesar Peixoto can convince Bellegarde to be the fulcrum of Wolves’ midfield in their promotion push, alongside Andre, but, again, a player of his quality will surely be looking to play top-flight football this season.

Marshall Munetsi

Action images

Unlike Bellegarde, Zimbabwe international midfielder Marshall Munetsi has been a much poorer addition to the Wolves midfield since he arrived from Stade de Reims in January 2025.

Munetsti managed just 13 appearances for Wolves last season before he was loaned out to a big spending Paris FC side in Ligue 1 and, while he remains at the club thus far, another move is surely on the cards for the 30-year-old.

Boubacar Traore

Another midfielder who has moved to Wolves from France in the last few years is Boubacar Traore, who signed on an initial loan deal from Metz in the summer of 2022.

An injury-hit campaign didn’t prevent Wolves from exercising their option to buy him in the summer of 2023 but, again, injuries and a lack of form saw him struggle to make any real impact on the first-team picture.

He spent last season back out on loan at Metz, as they were relegated back down to Ligue 2, and while a return to Metz is therefore unlikely, it would also be a surprise to see Traore remain at Wolves once again.

Hwang Hee-chan

Action images

The inconsistent Hwang Hee-chan, who represented Korea Republic at FIFA World Cup 2026, was once a highly-rated young attacker when he came through the Red Bull group at Red Bull Salzburg, FC Liefering and RB Leipzig.

He, who again also signed on an initial loan deal before a permanent move a year later, has been at the club since 2021 and can occasionally put in impressive performances but his lack of consistency is a major frustration.

At the age of 30, there would be a reasonable view that Hwang could be a level above the Championship, albeit a level below the Premier League, but he would surely want to be a guaranteed starter for a team in the second-tier and that is not necessarily something he would be blessed with would he be to remain at Molineux.

Sasa Kalajdzic

Action Images

Another member of Wolves’ contingent at the FIFA World Cup, Austria international striker Sasa Kalajdzic has endured a really tough time of it due to injuries at Wolves.

An ACL injury shortly after his move from Stuttgart in 2022 meant Kalajdzic has never got going in the midlands with persistent injuries ever since seeing him loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt in 2024 and then to Austrian Bundesliga outfit LASK last season.

Whether or not the 29-year-old could even have an impact for Wolves is one thing, but after missing so much football in the last few years, he will want to play regularly and that is again unlikely with the return of Raul Jimenez, as well as the signing of Adam Armstrong in the winter transfer window.