Wolves journalist Liam Keen has given his thoughts about Ruben Neves and how likely it is that he will stay at the club this summer.
Having been one of Wolves’ most important over the years by helping them get out of the Championship, establish themselves in the Premier League, go on a run in Europe – scoring 23 goals and chipping in with 11 assists since his arrival in 2017 – it was always going the case that bigger clubs would be sniffing around the Portuguese playmaker.
Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have all been credited with interest in him in the past, but he has stayed at Wolves and continued to be an important part of the side, ranking inside the top 10 of Wolves players for tackles, interceptions, shots, passes and dribbles per game (as per WhoScored).
Speaking on the latest edition of the E&S Wolves podcast following a brief discussion about whether or not qualifying for Europe would be needed in order to keep a player like Neves at the club, Keen claimed that European football might not ultimately be a factor and that there could already be enough going in Wolves’ favour to convince the 24-year-old to stay.
He said: “He’s had a very good season, he’s getting on very well with Bruno Lage and the squad, he’s very close-knit with the squad and loves Wolverhampton, Wolves and the city. Now, that doesn’t mean that will be enough to keep him, but it certainly helps in Wolves’ favour.
“So I don’t think it’s crucial that they have to get European football to keep him. I think there’s some argument as well that even if Wolves get the Conference League – is that even enough to prise players or prise him [away]?
“But I think Wolves were always going to be in a fairly strong negotiation position with him, simply because of the relationship they’ve got.”
TIF Thoughts on Liam Keen’s comments about Ruben Neves at Wolves…
Is Ruben Neves Wolves' most important player?
Yes
No
Judging by Keen’s comments, it doesn’t sound as if European football will ultimately be the deciding factor when it comes to Neves and his future, whether it be at Molineux or elsewhere, but it sounds as if Wolves have got themselves a pretty decent head start if some form of negotiations do take place.
Obviously, it could all be meaningless in the end if Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester United decide not to pursue him this summer – though that will be one less headache for Fosun and Lage to have to deal with.
But all they can do in the meantime is do their best and hope that they can put themselves in the best position possible if something does occur during the summer window.
In other news: Moutinho replacement found, Lage snubs 22 y/o: Interesting Wolves rumour emerges – opinion