Lage sold Ait-Nouri’s replacement, who’s now ouranking every Wolves player

Wolverhampton Wanderers has developed into a very astute selling club in recent summers. The Old Gold have

established a reputation as a shrewd team in the market despite the fact that selling a number of important players

has undoubtedly hurt their performance.

In 2023, former club captain Ruben Neves and his Portugal teammate Matheus Nunes were among the four high-

profile sales of the previous two summers. They sold Pedro Neto, a winger, and Max Kilman, another club captain, last summer.

It remains to be seen who Wolves’ next major sale will be, but Rayan Ait-Nouri is one player who has impressed during his time at the club.

Ait-Nouri’s Wolves career

This season, Algerian left wing-back Ait-Nouri has been a revelation for Gary O’Neil’s team. The next summer, he

made the transfer permanent after initially joining the team on loan from French team Angers in 2020.

Ait-Nouri has been incredibly remarkable since moving to the Midlands, it’s safe to say.He has so far scored 10 goals

and provided 10 assists in 129 appearances for the team, although he has excelled in the last two seasons.

In 38 games across all competitions in 2023–2024, the former Angers defender recorded three goals and two assists.

It will be shocking because he has been even better this season and has already equalled that total in the Premier

League with 12 outings.

Due to his exceptional performances for the Old Gold, Ait-Nouri has been connected to some of the top clubs in

England.He is reportedly “high on Ruben Amorim’s wishlist” as he attempts to bolster his new Manchester United

team, according to a recent report.

In the event that Wolves lose one of their best players again in January or the summer, they might regret selling

Ruben Vingare a few years ago and instead holding onto a ready-made replacement.

Portuguese left-back Vingare did not have a smooth ride at Molineux. He joined the club on a permanent deal in

2018, following a loan spell, just as Ait-Nouri did a few years later. He made the move from French side Monaco.

The former Portugal uner-21 international managed just 70 appearances for the Old Gold, spread out over the course

of several seasons. He scored three times and grabbed two assists in that time, but never became a permanent fixture in the side.

Vinagre record by season for Wolves (all comps)
Season	Games	Minutes	G/A
2017/18	13	967	2
2018/19	21	991	1
2019/20	33	1818	2
2020/21	3	262	0
Stats from Transfermarkt

He went on several loan spells throughout his time contracted to the club, including a move to Greek side

Olympiakos in 2020. Interestingly, that coincided with the loan move of Ait-Nouri, and The Athletic’s Tim Spiers

confirmed the two transfers were related.

Spiers explained on X at the time that the Algerian was signed “to replace Vinagre in the squad,” a like-for-like trade.

Vinagre struggled to settle at a club after leaving Molineux permanently in 2022 under then-boss Bruno Lage and

returning home to join Sporting. He went on loan to England twice, joining Everton and Hull City.

This season, the player who was loaned out to create place for Ait-Nouri is exceeding him in terms of assists, with

nine more than any other Wolves player in 2024–2025. This is pretty ironic. At Molineux, Vinagre has contributed

fewer goals overall this season than anyone else except Matheus Cunha, who has 10 goals and ten assists.

Vinagre is obviously playing for a team where he can thrive since a football player’s environment is essential. It’s

possible that Wolves supporters may reflect on his time at Molineux and wish things had gone differently. The ideal

Ait-Nouri substitute might have been standing in front of them the entire time.