Lage sold Ait-Nouri’s replacement who’s now ouranking every Wolves player.
Over the past few summers, Wolverhampton Wanderers have become a very smart selling club. They have made plenty of profit selling several key players, and although that has arguably had a detrimental effect on their form, the Old Gold have still developed a reputation as an intelligent club in the market.
The four prominent sales over the past two summers include former club captain Ruben Neves and his Portugal teammate Matheus Nunes in 2023. Last summer, they sold another club captain, Max Kilman, and winger Pedro Neto.
Pedro-Neto-Wolves (2)
It remains to be seen who Wolves’ next major sale will be, but Rayan Ait-Nouri is one player who has impressed during his time at the club.
Ait-Nouri’s Wolves career
Algerian left wing-back Ait-Nouri has been a revelation for Gary O’Neil’s side this season. He joined the club on an initial loan deal from French side Angers in 2020, making the move permanent the following summer.
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It is fair to say that Ait-Nouri has been really impressive since making the move to the Midlands. In 129 games for the club so far, he has ten goals and ten assists but has performed particularly well the past two seasons.
In 2023/24, the former Angers defender scored three goals and grabbed two assists in 38 games in all competitions. He has been even better this season and has already equalled that tally in the Premier League, with 12 appearances under his belt; it will be incredibly surprising if he doesn’t exceed it.
Ait-Nouri’s standout performances for the Old Gold have led him to be linked with some of England’s biggest clubs. One recent report states that he is “high on the wishlist” of Ruben Amorim, as he looks to strengthen his new Manchester United squad.
Rayan Ait-Nouri
If Wolves do lose one of their star players once again in January or the summer, they may wish they had kept hold of a ready-made replacement, Ruben Vingare, instead of selling him a few years ago.
Vinagre’s Wolves career
Portuguese left-back Vingare did not have a smooth ride at Molineux. He joined the club on a permanent deal in 2018, following a loan spell, just as Ait-Nouri did a few years later. He made the move from French side Monaco.
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The former Portugal uner-21 international managed just 70 appearances for the Old Gold, spread out over the course of several seasons. He scored three times and grabbed two assists in that time, but never became a permanent fixture in the side.
After leaving Molineux permanently in 2022 under then-boss Bruno Lage, and moving back to his native country to join Sporting, it was still not easy for Vinagre to settle at a particular club. He returned on loan to England twice, joining Everton and Hull City.
His deal at the Tigers ended in January 2024, and he spent the second half of last season playing for Hellas Verona.
Everton Ruben Vinagre
Finally, this season, the left-back seems to have discovered his best form. Now playing for Polish side Legia Warsaw, he has nine assists in 24 games in all competitions, including two in just three Conference League outings.
It is somewhat ironic that the man loaned out to make room for Ait-Nouri is now outperforming him from an assists point of view this term, with that tally of nine better than any every member of the Wolves squad in 2024/25. Equally, only Matheus Cunha (ten goals and assists) boasts more total goal involvements among those at Molineux than Vinagre so far this season.
