How we missed out on ‘Europe’s 1% striker’ who leapfrogged Holland…and almost became a ‘Hwang Hee Chan contender’
Wolverhampton will be disappointed not to have signed Victor Yokerez.
Last season, Wolverhampton narrowly avoided the drop. After winning just two of their 15 Premier League (PL) games in the first half of the season, they faced relegation, which led to the sacking of manager Bruno Raz. Julen Lopetegui took over the reins, and the club finished the season in 13th place with 11 wins, eight draws, and 19 losses, while adding Mateusz Cunha to the attack over the winter.
Alongside Cunha, Wolverhampton had one of their top targets. Jokeres is the man in question. The Swede was on loan at Brighton and Hove Albion at the time, until he made a permanent move to Coventry City in the Championship, where his potential exploded. After scoring 18 goals in 47 games in 2021-22, he followed that up with 22 goals in 50 games the following season.
During the summer transfer window, Wolverhampton were also keen on signing Jokeres, but their efforts were unsuccessful. According to Portuguese publication Record, “Wolverhampton offered the best deal for Yokerez, but with chairman Jeff Shea out of the country at the time, the deal fell through. Instead, Sporting stepped in and offered €20 million, with an additional €4 million for goals. In addition, Wolverhampton were unable to make many signings due to FFP issues.”
Sporting’s embrace of Yokers is working perfectly. Yokers has been on a blistering pace this season, scoring a whopping 36 goals in 39 games across all competitions. That’s more than Elling Holland’s 29 goals in 34 games this season.
There is already interest from several clubs. Arsenal, Chelsea, and 스포츠토토 Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), among others. Sporting have no intention of letting Yokerez go. The buyout clause alone is set at a whopping £120 million.
Wolverhampton will be disappointed not to have gotten their hands on him sooner. Although Hwang Hee-chan, Cunha, and Pedro Neto have all done their part this season to help the club finish ninth in the league, Neto is likely to leave the club at the end of the season, and all of them have been plagued by frequent injuries. “His all-round ability puts him in the top 1% of European strikers,” said Molineux News, which covers Wolverhampton. Sporting got him at a bargain price in his prime and could make over £100 million if they sold him. It makes you wonder what could have been at Wolverhampton.”