Express & Star

Jeff Shi calls for Wolves fans to join the Fosun revolution

Jeff Shi wants Wolves to produce their own world-beaters from the club's academy – and is desperate for more fans to join the Fosun revolution.

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During a visit to the Express & Star, the Wolves supremo and main director laid out his vision for the club's future.

He spoke of the season so far, a hectic few weeks in the transfer market and his hopes for the current campaign.

After appointing a new boss in Walter Zenga and signing 12 players in the space of just six weeks, Shi is hoping Wolves can mount a promotion challenge this season.

But he's also looking long-term to the future, in the form of the club's already-successful academy.

Shi recently visited Benfica's academy with managing director Laurie Dalrymple and sporting director Kevin Thelwell to see how the Portuguese giants, whose informal link with Wolves has seen three players move to Molineux on loan, produce top-quality talent.

The Wolves chief hopes to see academy graduates in the first team in the next year or two – and in the long run he wants, backed by increased investment, Compton Park to produce 'world class' players.

In an interview with Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers, Shi said: "After the first team our second priority is the academy. It's very important.

"I have spoken with the academy coaches and we have quite a lot of very good young players.

"I hope next season, or even this winter, some young players could play for the first team.

"We will enhance the investment into the academy and try to find some good players.

"I took Laurie and Kevin to Portugal and visited Benfica and I think they have quite a good academy there.

"The academy now is quite good – I hope we can make it world class to produce world class players.

"We should enhance that. The more academy players in our first team is better for us."

For the here and now, attendances at Molineux haven't increased as many might have thought, given the exciting new era underway with Fosun.

Gates have hovered around the 20,000 mark – and Shi, who spontaneously met with fans in a bar before the game against Wigan on Tuesday – called on supporters to experience the whole journey from Championship to Premier League, rather than jump on the bandwagon in the top flight, should Wolves get there.

"I appreciate the fans a lot," he said of his welcome to the club. "They love the club and they love us! They gave us a lot of confidence.

"I hope they can come back to the stadium gradually. I know now it's too early and we haven't shown very exact results on the pitch but we are improving.

"I hope the fans can enjoy the progress and the growing up period.

"I think good fans like that, they can enjoy the wins and also the growing-up pains and happiness and try to be together with us.

"For example, when we're in the Premier League and look back, you can see the whole progress and the whole life here, from now to the Premier League.

"It's a very interesting journey to us and you can see sometimes we are down, sometimes we have ups, but it's interesting to experience this, rather than wait until the Premier League, I'd like all the fans to grow up with the club together with us."

*Part two of our exclusive chat with Jeff Shi will follow later today

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