Wolverhampton Wanderers have made some statement changes to their squad this summer, as the Old Gold bid to get themselves back on track after their financial woes.
It was expected to be a difficult start as Gary O’Neil took on the role of manager just four days before their Premier League opener, with himself and the squad adapting to their new look.
Regular members of the side such as Ruben Neves, Nathan Collins and Matheus Nunes among others departed Molineux this summer, however their deals generated impressive funds for the club.
Business hasn’t always been sweet at Wolves, however, the sales of Neves and Nunes combined brought in £100m (£47m and £53m respectively), representing two of their most profitable sales in history.
Looking back at some of the Midlands side’s most expensive sales over the years, one name sticks out as a particularly successful departure; Helder Costa.
How much did Wolves sell Helder Costa for?
Sold by Wolves for £16m in 2020 to Leeds United, winger Helder Costa made the Old Gold some profit, which turned out to be a clever sale when considering his form following his departure.
Costa made the move to Molineux in 2017 when the club were in the Championship, impressing during an initial loan spell to warrant a £13m move from Benfica, a fee that was a club-record figure at the time.
Prior to his permanent move to Leeds, the Angolan whiz also impressed during a season-long loan at Elland Road before moving, showing a level of performance that was fraudulent to the ability he showed after securing a four-year contract.
What happened to Helder Costa?
For Wolves, Costa’s talents shone bright in the Championship, where in 71 appearances he contributed to 29 goals, scoring 15 and assisting 14 over the two seasons in the second tier.
The stalling point for the former Benfica ace was translating his form to the Premier League, where in the 2018/19 season, he scored just one goal in 25 appearances, subsequently paving the way to his loan back in the Championship.
At Leeds, a similar pattern of form repeated itself, where he had a hand in ten goals in the second division during the White’s journey to promotion, and scored just three times in the Premier League the campaign after.
During his time in the top-flight with Leeds, the winger was blasted by the club’s former striker Noel Whelan, dubbing him a “massive flop” and a “negative” player to have in attack, via Football Insider.
His poor form at the top level in England warranted a further two loan spells away from Elland Road, where he has not featured since, with both seasons proving to be ineffective.
In 2021/22 the Angolan spent the campaign in Spain with Valencia, where he failed to score in 22 La Liga appearances, followed by another loan last season in the Saudi Pro League, where he netted three times in 18 appearances for Al-Ittihad.
It will be a long way back for Costa in England, with his next career move difficult to predict due to his anonymous form in recent years.
One party will be smiling however, with Wolves having made a profit on the winger’s sale, offloading him at the perfect moment as he revealed himself as a forward who can’t cope with the demands of top-level football.
