03 Jul 2026 22:20:18
Although wages might have been a bit toppy for Wolves in the Championship, Nathan Ake for £7m was surely a "no brainer" and not getting involved is a bad mistake.
Homegrown, despite being Dutch, left-footed and versatile - lcb or lb.
He would have been a class above any other defender in the league.
A back 4 of Trippier, Mings, Krejci and Ake would have been - although on the old side - way too good for most Championship teams' attack!
Ps Would he have been willing to move to Wolves from Manchester?
Well, the key word is move.

He could well have stayed in the same house, his kids stayed at the same school/nursery, etc etc and driven to work instead of moving his entire family to Istanbul in Turkey!

1.) 03 Jul 2026
03 Jul 2026 22:51:33
He has taken a massive pay cut to join Fenerbache. He's agreed to a £100k a week deal. Down from the £160k per week he was on at City. Plus, he's had a £4.5m signing fee, which equates to £45k per week over his 2 year contract.

Wolves are never likely to compete with wages like that in the Championship.

2.) 03 Jul 2026
03 Jul 2026 23:23:04
Wasn't aware of the signing fee, and don't deny 100k would be toppy for Wolves now, the problem with getting yourself relegated, but I'd rather have proven quality than proven inadequacy.


Sell Toti Gomes and Marshall Munetsi, neither of whom should be considered for the team even in the Championship, and you would have covered both the wages and the fee, hopefully with a fair bit to spare!

3.) 04 Jul 2026
04 Jul 2026 00:05:37
He's not going to join us. Let's be realistic: wages. Our owners are poor and inadequate. Championship or Champions League?

4.) 04 Jul 2026
04 Jul 2026 08:12:35
I agree that the likes of Toti, Hwang, and Munetsi need to go, but the issue is, who, after seeing them play last season, is going to buy them and pay them the same as we currently do.

Toti was on £80k per week (reduced upon relegation). If a club came in and offered him, say, £35k per week, what's to stop him rejecting it and remaining at Molineux until his contract ends?

5.) 05 Jul 2026
05 Jul 2026 19:53:18
Good points made - Champions League or Championship, wages, and the general toxic nature of the club over the past few years.
However, you seem to be saying why any player would join Wolves, yet Trippier and Jimenez have.
When you see the prices young prospects (especially British ones), outside of total gambles from the lower leagues, are going for, and consider the risks associated with them, it is obvious that Wolves should be aiming for a core of players like Trippier and Jimenez.
Ake is/was at the top end of that list.
Persuading him to come would have been difficult, and would have had to have been based on his family's needs over the level of football on offer.
However, as stated, his fee and wages should have been easily met by selling the unwanted players in the squad.


Of course, they were insanely paid - the club was insanely run - sorry to all those posters who, despite everything that has happened over the past few years, think everything is still fine.
But, surely, after taking a 50% cut due to relegation, they should be saleable, albeit at knock-down prices.
If you don't think Toti and Munetsi, even at knocked-down prices, cover the cost of Ake, then Wolves are in a whole heap of trouble.
They have far, far less attractive players to get rid of, and to survive they do have to raise pretty substantial sums just to pay down the debt, let alone fund whatever the ongoing costs are and the rebuild.