The Nuno Revolution: Why this Wolves side are one of the best in Championship history

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It is fair to say that Wolves have dominated the Championship ever since the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo as manager this summer, replacing Paul Lambert.

Whilst Lambert did a steady job at Molineux and stabilised the club after a difficult period under Walter Zenga, it was clear that the Chinese owners, Fosun International, themselves having only taken over in the summer of 2016, wanted a marquee name to push them onto the Premier League.

Chairman Jeff Shi is highly ambitious and wants to push the club on towards the Champions League in the future, and Nuno, who managed Porto in the competition last season, was their number one target.

However, the events that have occured since the Portuguese’s appointment has been nothing short of remarkable.

They have had money to spend, but they have recruited quality top division talent from other leagues, rather than following the blueprint other clubs aiming for promotion typically follow: recruiting proven Championship players.

Perhaps the biggest coup of the summer was signing Portuguese international Ruben Neves from Porto for a fee of £15.8 million.

Whilst the fee was high, Neves is only 20 years of age and captained Porto just two seasons ago. He has been one of the Championship’s best players since joining, netting his latest goal – a free kick from just outside the area – in Wolves’ 3-0 win over Brentford on Tuesday evening.

Nuno also secured the signature of Atletico Madrid winger Diogo Jota on loan, a deal that could be made permanent this January. The Portuguese winger has netted 11 goals since his arrival at Molineux, just one behind the club’s top scorer Leo Bonatini.

Bonatini was also signed on loan, from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli, and it is believed the club can make his move indefinite in the current window, with the Birmingham Mail reporting a fee of just £5 million would be sufficient to secure his services in the long-term.

If there is any weakness in the squad, it is up front, with Bonatini and youngster Bright Enobakhare the only players who are truly comfortable playing in a central role.

However, there have been substantial contributions from other areas of the pitch. Ivan Cavaleiro has weighed in with seven goals and wing-back Barry Douglas, who is pivotal in providing Wolves with width and crossing ability, has contributed four, with a further nine assists.

With all this attacking talent at Nuno’s disposal, Wolves look simply unstoppable, sitting on top of the Championship by 12 points over second-placed Derby with 61 points from 29 games.

During the festive period, known for its challenges, the Midlands club won three and drew on one occasion, with those dropped points coming via a late equaliser scored by Millwall.

They have not lost a game since the 29th October – a 2-1 defeat to Ian Holloway’s Queens Park Rangers – and have only tasted defeat three times all season – one of which came against 3rd placed Cardiff.

When signing players from big clubs as a lower division side, there is always a worry that the players may think themselves too big for the club. However, this has not been the case at Wolves.

Neves was tracked by Chelsea and Liverpool before his move to Molineu, according to the Mirror. Although it is unclear whether that interest was concrete as of last summer, he was obviously convinced by the long-term project that is now underway at Molineux.

Do not be surprised to see the club pushing for the upper reaches of the Premier League in the next few years, even if promotion is not achieved by the end of this current campaign, with extra funds to be surely made available to Nuno.

New owners in the Football League are generally ambitious but it seems that Fosun International will stop at nothing to realise their dream of elite level football, having recruited experts to oversee recruitment in what will be a pivotal month.

With one of the most talent-packed squads in Championship history, that dream may not be too far away.