Four players that Wolves may lose to Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham this summer for the 2024/25 campaign.
Big news broke on Monday morning in the Premier League. West Ham are set to replace David Moyes with former Wolves manager Lopetegui for the upcoming season.
Wolves fans hold a mixed view of Lopetegui after his short stint at the club. The Spaniard rescued the Molineux side from certain relegation in the 2022/23 campaign. However, Lopetegui departed just days before the start of the following season due to multiple issues.
Now, after almost a year out, the former Real Madrid boss looks set to take his first job since Wolves.
As a result, this article speculates four players who could depart Wolves this summer to reunite with their former manager.
Fabio Silva
The striker has had a terrible 2023/24 campaign. After coming back from his loan spell with a lot of promise, Silva has not been able to replicate his form at Anderlecht or PSV.
As a result, he was shipped out on loan to Rangers in January after failing to score a Premier League goal under Gary O’Neil.
Here, the 21-year-old has continued to struggle. Silva went viral in April for a comical miss against Hearts in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.
This summer, Wolves should part ways with the striker and he could find a new home at West Ham.
Despite working together for a short time, Silva developed a good relationship with Lopetegui. The Express and Star revealed in September 2023 that the striker would have left last summer if not for the Spaniard.
Lopetegui may believe that he could unlock Silva’s potential which could see the attacker move down south this summer.
Pablo Sarabia
One of Lopetegui’s major signings at Wolves, Pablo Sarabia joined the club in January 2023 from PSG.
Despite not setting the world alight in his first six months, the winger played a key role in keeping Wolves in the division. Sarabia netted a highly important goal away to Fulham to help pull the Old Gold away from the drop zone.
Going into the 2024/25 campaign, the Spaniard only has one year left on his contract at the club. This could see a significant drop in the asking price from Wolves until this is resolved.
Lopetegui may see this as an opportunity to once again bring Sarabia into his first team and add more international experience to the Hammers.
Read more: Who should Wolves keep and sell this summer transfer window?
Max Kilman
The Wolves captain has been the subject of plenty of interest over recent months. Man United were recently tipped to sign Max Kilman this summer.
This season, the defender has not set the world alight at Molineux. The centre-half has struggled to consistently deliver clean sheets with the last one coming in a 1-0 victory over relegated Sheffield United in February. As a result, Wolves may be willing to let Kilman go if a big bid comes in.
One side that has also expressed interest in the defender is West Ham. The Hammers have been linked with 26-year-old multiple times in recent years. In January, it was reported that Kilman was West Ham’s ‘top target’.
Now that Lopetegui is set to join the Hammers, their interest in Kilman could see a bid come to fruition.
Under the Spaniard, Kilman was particularly impressive as Wolves’ defence was the major reason that they avoided the drop. Lopetegui may believe that he could reignite this form with a summer move.
Toti Gomes
Under Lopetegui, Toti Gomes had his first real breakthrough in Wolves’ starting XI. The Portuguese international started seven of the final 10 Premier League matches, keeping three clean sheets.
Lopetegui opted to play Gomes at left-back rather than his natural position at centre-half. However, the 25-year-old excelled in this position and even netted the winner against Aston Villa to confirm Wolves’ status in the Premier League.
Upon joining West Ham, a defender is likely to be the top priority due to the Hammers’ leaky defence. As a result, this could see Lopetegui target Gomes this summer.