Wolves must keep hold of Rayan Ait-Nouri this summer despite fears that the club may need to sell a big star.
Before Wolves’ match against Crystal Palace, Gary O’Neil updated fans on the transfer policy this summer.
Unfortunately, the news was not what the Molineux faithful wanted to hear. The Wolves manager’s current belief entering the final stages of the season is that the club may need to sell a big star this summer, with the Old Gold ‘expected to fund itself’.
While this has caused outrage among supporters, it seems inevitable that one of their star players from Wolves’ first team will leave to help fund the upcoming season.
However, this article puts forward an argument as to why O’Neil cannot let wing-back Ait-Nouri depart.
Rayan Ait-Nouri must stay at Wolves for the 2024/25 season
Since joining Wolves in 2021, Ait-Nouri has only got better and better. The left wing-back eventually pushed Jonny out of the starting XI and has now held the spot throughout the current campaign.
Under O’Neil, Ait-Nouri has shone becoming one of the most gifted wing-backs in the Premier League.
According to Fbref, the Algerian is one of the leading players in multiple statistics compared to other wing-backs.
Attacking-wise, Ait-Nouri has always been sensational and this shows in the data. The wing-back is in the top 2% for successful take-ons, standing at 2.43 per game as well as the top 3% for npxG at 0.13.
The 22-year-old is also extremely creative, producing 2.47 shot-creating actions per match as well as posting an average passing completion of 84.8%.
Defensively, Ait-Nouri has also massively improved this season. The wing-back is averaging 2.63 tackles a game, which puts him in the top 16% for his position this campaign.
Read more: Wolves’ pre-season plans for the upcoming 2024 tour.
Wolves will not find a similar talent for cheaper in the transfer window
In recent weeks, Ait-Nouri has been linked to Man City. However, Wolves should be wary of any bid.
According to Football Transfers, Wolves value the wing-back at £60 million. Yet, O’Neil should ignore any bids that come in for this amount.
Angers have a 50% sell-on clause for the defender after his departure from the French side to Molineux. It was reported that Wolves can buy out Angers’ sell-on clause, but this will still put them back £10 million.
On top of this, there are doubts among the Wolves fanbase that Hugo Bueno could step up to the role if Ait-Nouri departed, after numerous sub-par performances. Hugo Bueno was recently ranked in the top 10 worst Premier League players this season due to his displays.
Therefore, a new starting left wing-back would be needed to help the club stay competitive.
Finally, Ait-Nouri offers plenty of versatility. Throughout Wolves’ injury crisis in 2024, the Algerian was happy to cover multiple positions, which he did with great success.
By departing with Ait-Nouri, you are giving up this luxury which is highly needed at the club due to its little depth.
With Ait-Nouri only getting better as the years go on, it may be wise for Wolves to hold onto their prize asset for now and look to sell another star instead. Another fantastic year or two at the Old Gold could eventually see his price rise even further.
