The teenager could play an important part in the upcoming season…
Wolverhampton Wanderers have experienced a painful summer window so far, as the club continue to struggle financially following the revelation of their Financial Fair Play (FFP) concerns.
There has since been little progression at Molineux in the bid to shed any light on bringing new players in to bolster the squad, leaving the former Real Madrid boss “worried” over his squad’s chances in the Premier League.
What’s the latest on Wolves’ transfer window?
Despite offloading almost £90m worth of talent to move closer to generating profit to spend, the club remains far from being at the point of securing any talent of significant economic value.
With the opening fixture of the 2023/24 campaign just a week away, Wolves will have to make the best out of what they have in their depleted squad, after bidding farewell to 13 players so far due to contract expiration, sale and loan moves.
It’s a worrying time at Molineux, however in having a manager as experienced and motivated as Lopetegui at the helm, the Old Gold may be able to find light in searching for talent in their budding academy set-up rather than unachievable big-money moves in the market.
How good is Harvey Griffiths?
One talent that could aid the manager next season is midfielder Harvey Griffiths, who featured in Wolves’ pre-season festivities.
The 19-year-old was snatched by the Midlands club’s academy back in 2021 from Manchester City, and has since impressed in the academy set-up playing in central midfield.
On signing, the teenager was praised as being a “great footballer” and a player with a “physical presence” by former technical director Scott Sellars, having the experience of playing among a group of highly-talented prospects at City.
For Lopetegui, the youngster could be a talent to keep an eye on this season, particularly considering the areas that the Spaniard had hoped to recruit in this summer.
For the majority of the window, Wolves have been named as a club interested in Bristol City starlet Alex Scott, however after weeks of talks and two failed bids, the Old Gold look set to miss out on the 19-year-old to Bournemouth
Despite the disappointment surrounding this window, Lopetegui could find his answer to Scott in exploring the talents of Griffiths, who has similar strengths to the summer target.
Having once been lauded as a “terrific footballer” by academy coach James Collins, the teenage machine is a defensive midfielder with the ability to be a combative presence in protecting the back line as well as being able to impress in the final third.
Across 19 Premier League 2 appearances last campaign, the Englishman scored four and assisted four for the academy side, showcasing his strengths going forward.
The youngster also made 38 tackles and 91 recoveries in the middle of the park in the league, suggesting that he could be the perfect emergence from the academy for Lopetegui to integrate following the failure to capture Scott
