Wolverhampton Wanderers deserve great credit for how they've started the Premier League season, especially after the late departure of Julen Lopetegui in pre-season to hand Gary O'Neil the toughest of tasks. Even without a pre-season with his new squad, however, the former Bournemouth boss simply picked up where Lopetegui left off and more, resulting in the shock defeats of both Manchester City and Newcastle United to leave the Midlands club in the relative comforts of mid-table.
It's not all good news for Wolves though, with their performances on the pitch attracting interest in certain stars away from Molineux, which could deal Gary O'Neil one particular transfer blow.
Wolves transfer news
Even before Lopetegui's exit, Wolves weren't the busiest club in the summer transfer window and were forced to cope with major exits rather than the arrival of new stars. The Midlands club saw both Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes leave for big money, with the former leaving for Saudi Arabia and the latter opting for a move to Manchester City. The departures make Wolves' start even more impressive this season, but they'll still be desperate to avoid any more high-profile exits, as one Premier League side eye a particular player.
According to 90min, Chelsea have added Rayan Ait-Nouri to their list of left-back targets, alongside Alphonso Davies. The Blues are reportedly planning ahead and want to ensure that they replace Ian Maatsen upon the expiry of his contract in 18 months. Without the former Burnley loanee, the west London club would be left with just Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella to call upon in the left-back role, creating the need for a player of Ait-Nouri's calibre and skill set. Wolves, meanwhile, would be left short once again and searching for alternatives in a similar fashion to last summer when they suffered similar departures.
Wolves must keep "fantastic" Ait-Nouri
In a similar fashion to the rest of his teammates, Ait-Nouri is enjoying a far more successful spell than last season, starting 11 Premier League games, which is already more than the number he managed during the entirety of the last campaign. Ait-Nouri's stats (as per FBref) show just how improved the full-back has been for the Midlands club:
11
45
10
13
9
43
9
3
Those at Wolves knew that Ait-Nouri was capable of reaching current heights, too, with former captain Conor Coady telling the official website: "He’s really sharp. He turns you inside out. He’s got bags of tricks. It’s important we try and help him settle in as much as possible. He’s a young boy coming from a different country. He’s a fantastic person, he’s brilliant to have around the place, and it’s up to us as teammates and friends to make him settle as quickly as possible and hopefully we’ll keep on going."
Now, the Wolves man is tasked with keeping his current form going, regardless of whether that results in a move to a club of Chelsea's calibre. Ait-Nouri, in many ways, sums up O'Neil's side and Wolves' improvement so far this season as they seek to ease relegation fears.
