In 2016, Wolverhampton Wanderers began working with football superagent Jorge Mendes to boost the profile of players coming through the door at Molineux. This partnership worked wonders as the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Matheus Nunes all came to the club within the space of five years.
However, not all transfer plans can be fool-proof. While the likes of Neves and Moutinho went on to become legends at the Midlands club, Wolves did sign some duds for massive money which was facilitated by Mendes.
One of these failed signings is still on the books at Wolves, albeit on loan, but has had a turgid spell away from the club.
How much Wolves signed Goncalo Guedes for
After spending his entire youth career with Portuguese giants Benfica, Goncalo Guedes eventually made the leap to Paris Saint-Germain, joining for £25m after the French side reportedly battled it out with Manchester United for the "new Ronaldo". Nevertheless, after just a handful of matches at the Parc des Princes, the winger made the switch to Valencia for £35m.
It was at Valencia where Guedes played his best football, scoring 36 goals and recording 30 assists in 178 appearances in all competitions for Los Ches, while helping the side to Copa del Rey glory in 2019 which is still the club's first and only title in 15 years. The Portugal international's form eventually piqued the interest of Wolves, who acquired his signature eighteen months ago for £27.5m.
Unfortunately, Guedes' time at Molineux was less than impressive. The attacker featured just 18 times in all competitions for the Wanderers, including 12 in the Premier League and lasted just half a season at the club before joining Benfica on loan last January, winning the Primeira Liga in the process.
Guedes returned to the champions of Portugal this summer on loan but his second temporary spell hasn't been as successful the second time around.
Guedes' stats this season
Upon signing for the club, chairman Jeff Shi called Guedes a "high quality" player but admitted that the English side had to scrap it out with a number of different suitors right up until the last minute to secure his services.
Nevertheless, Guedes' move coincided with what was a topsy-turvy season for the Midlands club. Bruno Lage, who brought the wide-man to the club, was sacked by October and eventually replaced with former Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui, while the pressure of being Wolves' fourth-most expensive player of all time also lingered above the player.
Throughout his half-season with Wolves, Guedes scored just two goals, one against Brighton and Hove Albion in a 3-2 league defeat and one in a 2-2 draw with Liverpool in the FA Cup. Still, the 26-year-old proved to be more prolific last term and actually outperformed his teammates in a number of key metrics in comparison to the previous season.
Goals
0.23
0.07
0.11
0
0.25
Expected Goals
0.17
0.23
0.25
0.1
0.23
Shots
2.78
2.23
2.7
1.73
1.65
Shots On Target
0.97
1.01
0.96
0.45
0.63
Goals Per Shot
0.08
0.03
0.04
0
0.15
Stats via FBref
There's no question that Guedes underperformed last season considering how much money Wolves spent to bring him to Molineux. However, the Portuguese attacker also came during a turbulent campaign for the club, with the threat of relegation looming overhead.
Guedes has failed to register a single goal or assist since moving back to Benfica on loan and has played just six games and 61 minutes overall. Furthermore, the player is yet to receive more than 45 minutes worth of game-time in Lisbon during a match, having totalled merely 160 minutes on the pitch.
Even Guedes' ability to play on the left, the right and up top has proved unable to offer him more game-time for Benfica this season.
Perhaps Wolves could look to recall their expensive winger when the January transfer window opens and offer him one more chance to prove himself in an orange shirt.
