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3 lg goals since 2017, last app in 2018, form spiralled – Wolves signing 26 y/o didn’t work

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Leo Bonatini is still a Wolverhampton Wanderers player, but he could be on his way out of Molineux permanently this summer. The 26-year-old is currently on loan at Vitoria Guimaraes and could join the Portuguese outfit on a permanent deal when the season is concluded.

Bonatini looked a shrewd acquisition by Wolves after a successful loan spell, but things fell apart the minute he became a permanent player. The Brazilian striker has been out of favour under Nuno Espirito Santo since 2018 and hasn’t been too full of goals either.

So what went wrong?

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Bonatini initially joined Wolves on a season-long loan from Al-Hilal in 2017 and went on to make 43 Championship appearances, scoring 12 goals and making five assists, as per SofaScore. The 26-year-old had a buying option that Wolves triggered at the end of the 2017/18 campaign, but things went downhill after that.

Wolves were promoted to the Premier League but Bonatini struggled for form and playing time in 2018/19. As per FBref, the Brazilian striker failed to start a single league game and was loaned out to Nottingham Forest when the winter transfer window opened.

Bonatini dropped back down a division for first-team football but managed only 158 minutes of playing time in the Championship. Things didn’t get better the following season as Wolves deemed him surplus to requirements and loaned out him before the 2019/20 campaign started.

The 26-year-old was sent to Vitoria and had a buying option attached to his contract, but he’s managed just three goals in 15 Primeira Liga games – the only league goals Bonatini has netted since December 2017. With his last appearance for Wolves coming in November 2018, he won’t be missed.

Read Crippy Cooke’s previous article

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Sports journalist who is an avid football fan, enjoys debunking transfer rumours, loves to write pieces about players out in the cold and takes a large amount of pride getting a predicted XI 100% correct.