Wolverhampton Wanderers will never forget record breaking transfer - He landed the club millions | OneFootball

Ruben Neves’ £15.8m 2017 transfer sparked Wolves’ rise from Championship to Premier League mainstay and left a lasting legacy at Molineux

The summer of 2017 marked a turning point for Wolverhampton Wanderers. Their then-record signing of Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves not only set the club on a path to promotion but also secured their financial stability years later.

Acquiring Neves from Porto for £15 million, Wolves made a bold statement that summer, a gamble that paid off in spectacular fashion.

Neves joined up with the Old Gold in July 2017 from Portuguese giants Porto. Dubbed as one of Europe's best up-and-coming talents at the time, Neves had previously captained his boyhood club in the Champions League, and his Molineux move set the tone for the upcoming year.

Going to achieve promotion by the end of the year, Nuno Espírito Santo's side went down as one of the unique outfits in Championship history, with the level of talent acquired throughout the transformative 2017 summer being somewhat unheard of regarding England's second tier.

Wolves' Ruben Neves deal shook the foundations of the Championship

After an under-par opening year under the guidance of Chinese investment conglomerate Fosun, Wolves carried huge ambitions going into the 2017/18 campaign.

Nuno was announced as head coach, and supporters immediately felt a sense of presence from their new manager. The Portuguese coach, who had previously been at Porto, arrived with instant ambition matching that of the owners. Premier League football was craved at Molineux.

In the very same summer, relegated Middlesbrough spent big on Nottingham Forest's Britt Assombalonga and Martin Braithwaite of Toulouse, while adding vital Championship experience in Cyrus Christie, Jonny Howson and Darren Randolph.

However, Boro's £15 million deal for Assombalonga was soon overshadowed by Wolves, who secured a then record-breaking deal for Neves, someone who at the time was unproven in English football.

Wolves went into the campaign with a lot to prove. Despite questions and criticism regarding the club's transfer action, Nuno's men went in as promotion favourites alongside a Middlesbrough side stacked with Championship-proven quality, led by Garry Monk.

Ruben Neves' Wolves arrival turned out to be a masterstroke

It is safe to say that by May 2018, Neves and Nuno's team as a whole had proven the critics wrong. Heading into November, Wolves took their place at the top of the Championship, and did not relinquish it throughout the remaining months before confirming their status as Champions in April through a 4-0 away win against Bolton.

Alongside the remarkable arrival of Neves, Wolves added Diogo Jota, Wily Boly, Leo Bonatini, Barry Douglas and Ruben Vinagre, all of whom became regular first-teamers throughout the campaign. John Ruddy and Ryan Bennett also arrived, adding vital experience at the back.

Wolves' subsequent promotion allowed even further investment in the 2018 summer, with arrivals Raul Jimenez, Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio, Jonny, Leander Dendoncker and Adama Traore all going into the history books alongside the aforementioned names as the group that brought European football to Molineux for the first time since 1981.

Wolverhampton Wanderers were flying, getting to the Europa League quarter-finals before losing to the eventual winners, Sevilla, in a one-legged affair due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And it was, in fact, prior to the 2020 shutdown setting the club back financially, Wolves, alongside Leicester City, were the teams to beat as they took the fight to the might of the 'Big Six' in the Premier League.

Ruben Neves left a long-lasting impact at Molineux

Heading into the 2023/24 campaign, chaos ensued at Wolves. After comfortably guiding the club to Premier League safety the season prior, head coach Julen Lopetegui's departure was announced just four days ahead of the club's opening match of the campaign against Manchester United due to concerns about the lack of transfer ambition.

With the club struggling to meet PSR regulations, Wolves required a big sale over the summer months. Leaving Molineux for £47 million as the club's biggest asset, Neves left the club for Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal.

After a heartfelt video shared by the club, Neves left the club after spending six fantastic years in the Black Country.

Attending Wolves' 2-0 win against Southampton, Neves spoke about his love for the club in an official Wolves interview ahead of what would be a fantastic reception for the former captain by the Molineux faithful.

"It feels strange, to be honest. Seeing all these people and not being on the pitch is strange for me, but it's very good to be back," said Neves. "I feel very happy and my family is very happy as well, because this club means a lot to us. We're very happy that we had this welcome today.

"But it's not only about the club, it’s about the city, it’s about the friends we made here. Our kids, for example, they were born and grew up here. Our family grew up here, so Wolverhampton means a lot to us. It was a big opportunity for us to come back, and we are very pleased to be here and to share with all these people the love that they had for us over that six years."

On his decision to leave Wolves, Neves said: "Very difficult – the hardest decision of my life. But I also think it was the right moment for me and for the club. The last season for me here was very hard, mentally."

Throughout his stint in the Premier League with Wolves, Neves continued to flourish in Old Gold. However, the progress of Wolves as a club had continued to stagnate.

"I was very tired, and I remember I spoke to my wife that season, and I said that mentally it was hard for me to deal with everything that happened. With coaches being sacked, then playing a few games with internal coaches, and then another coach coming in with a lot of new players, fighting for relegation – it was not a perfect season.

"For me, being captain through all of that, I felt it a lot. So, I think it was the perfect time for me and for the club, but that didn’t stop it from being a very hard decision. But this club will always be in my heart because it was six fantastic years I spent here."

Ruben Neves reached a status that not many can

Neves' appearance and rapturous reception at Molineux in late 2024 were indicative of just how adored he is at the club. For a still-active player to go back to his old stomping grounds and receive the reception that Neves did is remarkable.

While the club's overall progression stagnated in comparison to the years following promotion, Neves is someone who embodied everything about the club throughout the best period at Molineux in recent history.

Shaking the very foundations of the Championship, before going on to flourish in the Premier League, the 2017 deal to sign Neves for £15 million will be something looked upon extremely fondly by Old Gold supporters over years to come.