Express & Star

Long term success remains Wolves' focus

Jeff Shi insists the focus remains on ensuring Wolves achieve long term success.

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Speaking in a wide ranging interview he addressed a number of topics, including the possibility of floating Wolves in the stock market in the next few years.

And he also tackled the club's transfer policy - and how it remains focussed at delivering the club long term success.

He said: “You can see in the last few years, it is easy to have a new owner come here with strong ambition to buy players here and there and if they succeed, good, and if they are not succeeding, then they will sell the club and a new owner will come and maybe they will replace the whole squad, or whatever, and it’s not good for us, especially not good for me and the staff.

“Of course, I’m working for the fans, but I’m also working for myself, for the owner and for the staff here and we want a steady environment to develop and to grow.

“We’re not working for the fans to say, ‘Oh what do you want? I want to do it for you,’ then maybe the next day I lose my job.

“I think if we have some mutual understanding on this and the long-term success for everyone’s career here, it’s more important. For the owner’s safety on the cash which has been put into the squad, it’s important. We don’t want the owner to lose the money, then wash his hands, then be gone. Too many failed cases like this happened in the last 10 years.

“How many owners have done this: bought a club, sold a club and then be gone, losing 100 million, 200 million? We don’t want to do this and if we’re talking about the priority, we always put the owner’s safety, the staff’s growth, maybe ahead of fans’ requirements for one or two more players. I’m very honest on this, and also eventually I think for the long-term future, it’s better for the fanbase to understand that.”

“If you ask me whether we will spend a lot or not, if you go back to the scene in my head, it’s about if we can have the long-term benefit, we will spend; if it’s not for long-term benefit or it’s not for the health of the club or the group, we will not do it.

“It’s hard to say we will do it or not do it. It depends on the economics, it depends on the chance, it depends on our demands for what we want to do.”

Wolves have, meanwhile, confirmed they will have new shirt sponsors next season after their three-year deal with gambling firm ManBetX came to an end.