Wolves have moved to strengthen their academy – by signing 16-year-old Matheus Mane from non-league club Rochdale.
In recent times, the Wanderers academy has really borne fruit, with a number of players making their first-team debuts.
The likes of Hugo Bueno, Joe Hodge, Luke Cundle, Nathan Fraser, Tawanda Chirewa, and most recently Leon Chiwome, have all stepped up to get first-team minutes for the club.
It is clear that Wolves are now placing an emphasis on providing genuine pathways to the first-team for young players, and the work that the likes of Jonathan Hunter-Barrett, James Collins, James McPike and many others have done has been fantastic.
There will now be hope that the club can set Mane on a path to the first-team in a few years’ time…
Wolves complete signing of 16-year-old Matheus Mane from Rochdale
Last night, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano took to X that Woles had moved to sign Mane.
He wrote: “Wolves have signed 16 year old talent Matheus Mane from Rochdale for their Academy. From Non-league to Premier League, Wolves have completed the deal and it’s all signed. Exclusive story, confirmed.”
Romano also provided a photograph of Mane stood on the Molineux pitch holding a Wolves shirt, with his family by his side.
Wolves have yet to make any kind of announcement about the signing. There is also no word yet from Rochdale.
A big move for Mane
So Wolves have again dipped into non-league to sign a talented young player,just as they did with the signing of Fraser Holman, who joined from Eastbourne Borough in January.
The club have clearly cast their net far and wide in search of top young talent, and hopefully Mane will turn out to be a top prospect. At 16 he is still very young so we likely won’t be seeing him in a first-team setting for some time yet.
Mane never made an appearance for the Rochdale first-team, but did make a matchday squad for the first time last month, with the club’s manager Jimmy McNulty saying of him at the time (rochdaleafc.co.uk): “Mane deserves a mention, a 16-year-old making the bench.
“He’s been fantastic for the Youth Team. He trained with the First Team on an occasion last week and he showed real talent, for such a young boy.”