Squad management
The January transfer window was also crucial in Edwards’s reshaping of the squad. They sold Jorgen Strand Larsen to Crystal Palace for a total of £48m, while also offloading Jhon Arias and Emmanuel Agbadou.
Edwards sanctioned the sales of Arias and Agbadou as they would clearly not be part of his plans in a Championship season. Arias, the Colombia international, was only signed in August but the £21m fee agreed with Palmeiras represented a profit. Meanwhile, Agbadou was initially the subject of a £2m loan offer from Turkish club Besiktas but eventually left for a fee of just over £17m.
Wolves also stuck to their valuation of over £40m for Strand Larsen. Leeds United made at least two offers, with their highest at around £38m, but Palace’s desperation for a forward, together with issues over the future of Jean-Philippe Mateta, made Larsen their No 1 target.
Nathan Shi, the interim chairman, was also a key figure in those sales. It was Shi (no relation to former chairman Jeff) who convinced Fosun, the club’s owners, of the rationale behind the deals, to ensure all were aligned.
There could have been other exits. Nottingham Forest had a £2m bid for goalkeeper Jose Sa rejected and also moved late for left-back David Moller Wolfe without success.
Wolves did make two signings of their own. Adam Armstrong arrived from Southampton for £7m and, while still waiting for his first goal, is an experienced and low-maintenance character around Compton. Angel Gomes, the England international, was signed on loan from Marseille with a £6m buy option.