Wolves' summer transfer plans underway, says executive chairman Jeff Shi

Having had a supremely successful return to the Premier League, Nuno Espirito Santo's side are already looking to improve next season

After a successful first season back in the Premier League, Wolves’ executive chairman Jeff Shi has announced that their preparations for the next campaign have already begun.

Wolves were promoted from the Championship in 2018 and, in their first season back in the Premier League, finished seventh and reached the FA Cup semi-final.

But, instead of resting on their laurels, Shi insists that the combination of the academy, the players at the club, the manager and the board are looking to improve next season.

“I think the first thing is that we want to see more growth and more development from the current squad, but the next thing is about how to do something in the window,” Shi told Wolves’ official website.

“I think, depending on Nuno’s identity and philosophy, we are very clear about what profile of player we want.

“But it depends on the market. You know what you want and that’s the most important thing, but you also need the market to release the players you want.

“I cannot say very concretely now, but what I can say is we will work very hard to improve the squad, and also try to compete with the best teams.”

By finishing seventh in the Premier League, Wolves achieved their highest position in the English league system since 1979–80.

On top of that, they could qualify for the Europa League if Manchester City beat Watford in the FA Cup final on May 18.

Wolves manager Nuno Espírito Santo will therefore be looking to bolster his squad to help them cope with the extra games, and Shi thinks their excellent season will help attract players to the club.

“It doesn’t only depend on us, it’s depending on the market, but currently we are at a better position than the last season,” Shi said.

“To be honest, in the last season when we were just promoted, I felt some players didn’t want to come because ‘oh, you’re just promoted, maybe you will go down again’.

“Now we have shown that we can be very competitive in the Premier League, and we have also beaten many strong teams which makes the club more attractive to the top players in the world.

“We have a top coach and a top team, so I think the job will be easier to us, but because we are already here, the requirement for the quality of the players will be higher.”