Claim made on Wolves' ownership state - 'Ever since Jeff Shi left' | OneFootball

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been owned by Fosun International since 2016 and this is their first relegation under the ownership group...

Prior to the 2025/26 season, Wolverhampton Wanderers enjoyed a period of stability in the Premier League since returning to the top flight in 2018, with much of that success overseen by their ownership group Fosun International.

The Chinese conglomerate completed its takeover of Wolves in 2016, ending Steve Morgan's nine-year spell in charge and ushering in a new era at Molineux. Since then, Fosun have invested heavily in both the playing squad and the club's infrastructure, helping Wolves establish themselves as a top-flight outfit after years of inconsistency.

However, relegation followed last season after the sales of Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri and fan frustration has grown since then. Chairman Jeff Shi has been the public face of the ownership group, with he and others taking flak for the disaster of finishing bottom of the table in 2026.

While supporters have occasionally questioned transfer spending and recruitment decisions, Fosun's tenure has still delivered promotion, multiple top-half Premier League finishes and European football. As Wolves now look to rebuild after relegation and they continue to evolve as a club, the ownership group's decisions remain central to determining the club's future direction.

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We asked our FLW Wolves fan pundit Thomas Woodhall for his thoughts on the ownership at Molineux. We asked for his honest verdict on whether they are the right owners to take the club forward from here.

He said: "I don't think the owners are here nor there, really. I mean, it's not every day you're going to get a Jack Haywood for us. You know, a fan of the club and owner.

"It rarely happens outside of the top six and your other big teams. But you question them a lot. You question them during the uncle Jorge [Mendes] things. We just start buying players who are clearly coming in for the stepping stone, which isn't so bad.

"But when Jorge starts trying to cash in on players who have essentially made the team what they are and then we're selling them quicker than they're coming in, the owners don't have enough to say no to him.

"With this recent thing that's gone on with Rob Edwards, I'm not totally convinced by the decision. That's just poor management, poor planning, and we started prepping for the next season. But then, all of a sudden, he's gone.

"We had a plan all through the Premier League in the season just gone. The plan in place included Rob Edwards and now we've sacked him. Does that mean that plan's not there anymore?

"It's difficult to get behind them. Ever since Jeff Shi left, I think Nathan Shi has come in and certainly given the fans some confidence. We didn't have that beforehand. I can understand the owners sacking Jeff and bringing him in.

"Look, I don't think the owners in football are the be all and end all. When you've got your Mike Ashley's, they definitely are. But our owners do put their hand in their pocket — when is another story."

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On perhaps replacing Wolves' current owners in the future, he added: "It's not like we're a club that's getting into debt because they stick close to the FFP rules. They've kept the club afloat really well, they've put money in when they needed to, but not always completely.

"Last season, I think they could've put their hand in their pocket a bit more. It's not just about being the right owners to take us forward. I don't know who else could come in and take us forward. Do you know what I mean?

"It's more who else would do it. We risk having owners come in who don't put their hand in their pocket. I think, in an ideal world, we'd have somebody else come in. But this is the real world.

"I just don't know what's available out there, of course. But it's difficult. It is difficult."