Wolves' bold transfer window comes to quiet end at Molineux

Having already made six new signings for around £80million, Nuno Espirito Santo felt there was no need to act on deadline day.

Of the incomings, Nelson Semedo’s arrival from Barcelona was arguably the one which turned the most heads, while a club-record £35m was splashed on teenage striker Fabio Silva.

The departures of Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota for Tottenham and Liverpool respectively were hugely significant.

And so were a series of contract renewals, with skipper Conor Coady and goal machine Raul Jimenez penning fresh terms along with – what many rightly consider the signing of the summer – Nuno committing until 2023.

The latter was an enormous relief for all Wolves supporters, and great entertainer Adama Traore looks set to follow suit in the near future.

It all begs the question; will this window be looked back upon as a success?

Assessing the fresh faces, the club have mainly brought in players with massive potential.

Silva’s capture was certainly unlike most club-record outlays you will see.

Rather than spending big money on an established star who was ready to come straight into the starting XI, Wolves thought long-term.

With Jimenez very much the main man, Silva has been brought in to learn from the Mexican, and eventually succeed him as the go-to goalscorer.

The 18-year-old’s compatriot, Vitinha, is another firmly in that mould, with his signing from Porto on a loan-with-option deal (£18m the figure that would make his stay permanent next summer) representing fairly risk-free business, while hopefully adding some more creativity to the ranks.

Ki-Jana Hoever, from Liverpool, is someone who could be a top-class player in a few years, with the thinking being that he has a fair amount to offer here and now as well.

The same can also be said about fellow wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, coming in from French club Angers on loan with a view to a £20m purchase, while Semedo and Fernando Marcal are certainly more proven buys – both having plenty of Champions League experience under their belts with Barca and Olympique Lyonnais respectively.

A centre-half and central midfielder on top of those would have gone down a treat for many, but Wolves have still very much been active.

On the whole, too, they have been pretty bold.

Nuno had identified Semedo as his primary target following the sale of Doherty to Tottenham – something that got alarm bells ringing at the time – and got his man.

Silva has a lot of learning to do but, ultimately, is a club-record buy and you would back at least one of Vitinha, Hoever or Ait-Nouri to become a prominent figure in the years to come.

Wolves identified their targets and got deals done swiftly, avoiding the need for a last-minute dash.

A bit more experience overall would have been nice, but the club – and crucially Nuno – want young players who can learn a lot and flourish at Molineux

The loss of Jota, so brilliant to watch when at his best, was difficult to take, but the fee (potentially rising to £45m), his loss of form last term and the destination made it a logical deal.

Again, a replacement could have been sought, but with Daniel Podence, Pedro Neto, Traore, Jimenez and Silva as the forward options, Nuno – keen to work with a small squad, of course – felt he had enough quality there.

When you look at the squad now, there seems to be a couple of options for every position.

Whether they have strengthened significantly is up for debate and, really, only time will tell.

After all, we have seen it take time for new players to fully bed in under Nuno.

For now though, six have come through the door and, fingers crossed, they show us exactly why.