Former highly rated Wolves youngster once wanted by Chelsea helps Welsh side return to Europa Conference League
A former Wolves youngster who was once linked with a move to Chelsea has helped a Welsh top flight side return to Europe.
Zeli Ismail, who was picked up by Wolves at the age of nine before going on to make his first team bow - has been turning out this season for JD Cymru Premier side Connahs Quay Nomads.
The 32-year-old Albanian born winger, who was once one of the hottest properties in the Wolves academy and represented England at youth level - recently helped the North Wales outfit return to the Europa Conference League.
It comes after he made his bow in a European competition with fellow Welsh side Newtown a few years ago.
Ismail, who went on a host of loan spells during his time at Wolves and made eleven appearances for the Old Gold, went on to feature for a handful of EFL sides before arriving in Welsh football.
Once a hot property in the Wolves academy, he was player of the tournament for Wolves in the well known Milk Cup in 2008 - and part of the England Victory Shield side.
With his stock high, clubs like Chelsea made pushes to sign the winger as a youngster - but he remained at Wolves, with the club making a special effort to keep Ismail's progress under the radar.
He reflected on his career in an interview with Express & Star columnist Paul Berry back in 2022 - where he explained how the club attempted to protect him from the interest of big clubs.
He said: "There were times when we played against the big teams, like Manchester United and Liverpool, games which they would show on their TV channels, that I wasn’t allowed to play,.
“I felt that I was being hidden, pushed to the side for those games, and I was hearing that there was a lot of interest from other clubs.
“For me, all I ever wanted to do was play for Wolves.
“I wasn’t trying to go anywhere else, I had no interest, because the club had really looked after me and my family and I was really happy where I was.”
