Wolverhampton Wanderers are gunning for big things under the ownership of Chinese conglomerate Fosun, headed by chairman Jeff Shi they have truly transformed the club over recent years.
First came the Championship title in 2018, then a seventh-place finish in the Premier League in their maiden season back and now a run at the Europa League knockout stage.
And it’s only the start as there are big plans ahead for the club.
These ambitions can now fully get going after the final piece of the puzzle was put in place last week. Wolves confirmed the appointment of James Collins as the new head coach of the U23 squad, replacing Rob Edwards.
He will act as the final step between the club’s youth system and Nuno Santo’s first-team, which is huge for what Fosun want to do at Molineux.
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In the future, they see the club producing their own talent from within, and that’s been echoed by the substantial amount of money invested over the summer with over a handful of additions.
Collins holds a UEFA Pro Licence, the highest coaching badge possible, and joins from the hugely-promising academy of Crewe Alexandra.
Upon his arrival, he said: “The academy has taken a long time to get going and be really high-flying, but I think they are on the verge of that now. They have good players, they are investing in it, and I know the board and the chairman are keen on it.”
Now that the academy setup has an U23 manager in place, they can genuinely start transitioning players into first-team prospects, just like Collins has done for years at the League Two outfit.
This move was a vital one as it has only really been Morgan Gibbs-White that has broken into the senior fold under Fosun’s control, and that must change if they are to meet their long-term aim.
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The 19-year-old has played 64 times in the old gold, scoring just once, via Transfermarkt.
Collins can be the middle man between Nuno and the youth system, very much like Freddie Ljungberg was at Arsenal before becoming caretaker following Unai Emery’s sacking.
And in other Wolves news, here’s how Nuno Santo’s side could look after nearly £60m worth of investment in January…
