Premier League

Wolves: Ruben Neves is ‘not for sale’ in January

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Image for Wolves: Ruben Neves is ‘not for sale’ in January

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ scout leader, John Marshall, has revealed that Ruben Neves is ‘not for sale’ in January, according to Tuttomercatoweb.com.

In the interview with Marshall, posted on Wednesday afternoon, it was revealed that keeping the Portuguese 22-year-old was a top priority for January (via Birmingham Mail).

The head of recruitment stated that despite there being interest in their man from ‘many top clubs’ around Europe, the club is focusing on retaining Neves.

Reported interest in Neves

Last week, it was reported that the Spanish gargantuan of Real Madrid are interested in bringing the 22-year-old to the Santiago Bernabeu (El Desmarque, via The Sun).

According to El Desmarque, Jorge Mendes had offered a possible swap deal for Neves to Los Blancos, with James Rodriguez heading in the opposite direction.

However, the latest news coming out of Molineux has poured cold water on the rumour, with retaining the midfielder high on Nuno Espirito Santo’s agenda.

TiF Tactics – Neves essential to Wolves

It is without a doubt, keeping Ruben Neves is essential to Wolves going forward such is his key role within the team.

Also, holding on to the Portuguese middleman for as long as possible will serve the Old Gold well in terms of the financial gain, as the £45-million rated man will only grow in value the longer he is at Molineux.

The 22-year-old offers Espirito Santo versatility in the centre of the park, being able to master both the deep-lying playmaker and advanced playmaker roles, although some believe he is more effective advanced (per The Times).

In attack, Neves offers more than any other of the Wolves midfield, having scored twice in the league this season, making him the Old Gold’s joint-second top scorer (via BBC).

The 22-year-old is also able to cause more problems for the opposition, managing an average of 1.4 shots per game, the third-highest in the Wolves squad and double that of the closest midfielder – Morgan Gibbs-White with 0.7 (via Whoscored).

With a 6.69/10 average rating for the season so far, the midfielder has not been at his best (as per Whoscored), but still vital, showing what a key player he is for the Old Gold.

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