da 888casino： Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen an abundance of talent grace the pitch at Molineux over the years, with the common demographic of talent being from Portugal.
da luck： The strong relationship between former coach Nuno Espirito Santo, and renowned player agent Jorge Mendes, opened the gate for an influx of stars from the region to show their worth in England.
From Ruben Neves to Rui Patricio, Nuno enjoyed some of his best managerial years in Wolverhampton leading his side packed with Portuguese stars and hopefuls, with tradition continuing even after his departure.
Fellow countryman Bruno Lage took the reins from the now Al-Ittihad manager in 2021, and maintained the opportunity for both established and upcoming talents to be welcomed to the Midlands.
While some players have been formidable assets to Wolves, others have failed to integrate and settle in the squad, with one of Lage’s signings bringing the wow factor when he arrived but failed to live up to such expectation.
When did Wolves sign Francisco Trincao?
In the summer of 2021, it was announced that Wolves had agreed to sign Barcelona starlet Francisco Trincao on a season loan, a deal that included a “non-compulsory obligation to buy” clause.
The 21-year-old arrived on the back of securing 42 appearances in the 2020/21 campaign for the Catalan giants, in which he scored three goals and recorded two assists, with all his goal contributions coming in La Liga.
Deployable as a right or left winger, the forward was snatched up by the Catalan outfit from his boyhood club SC Braga in 2020, and with his future at Camp Nou of a sporadic nature, the time was right for the winger to take a step back and join Wolves.
What was the reaction when Wolves signed Francisco Trincao?
At the point of his arrival, former technical director Scott Sellars dubbed the Midlands club’s new signing as a “really exciting player”, which was a fair analogy for a player that had performed so highly in both Spain and Portugal.
Prior to his move to Barcelona, Trincao directly had a hand in 20 goals in 38 appearances for Braga as a teen during the 2019/20 campaign, scoring eight and assisting 12 to showcase his prominence in the final third.
For Wolves, the 21-year-old arrived at the perfect time, as highlighted by The Athletic that summer with reference to the absence of fellow wideman Pedro Neto, who had suffered a broken patella and was set for an extended spell of absence.
Not only were the signs pointing to the Braga academy graduate providing cover for Neto, but it was also made clear just how similar his playing style was to Neto’s, with hints that he could even surpass the Wolves whiz.
A report by The Athletic saw former Braga assistant manager Vitor Castanheira share his thoughts on Trincao, a player that he knew from a young age due to his role in directing young talent around the club.
Castanheira spoke highly of the 21-year-old, sharing his beliefs that he is “even more strong mentally than Neto”, whom he spent a lot of his childhood with as they grew up in the same area of Portugal.
The former Braga coach insinuated further that Trincao could be better than Neto by saying:
“If I had to compare, Neto is more vertical, direct to goal. Trincao can do that but you don’t only see him making good dribbles – he’ll think of lines of passes that aren’t easy to see. He’ll score goals. Offensively, he’s a complete player.”
If his contributions to goals and role at Barcelona didn’t sell his talents, then Castanheira certainly did, selling those at Molineux an insight into the calibre of player the Old Gold were receiving in the youngster.
The stage was set for the Barcelona loanee to shine in Neto’s absence, with the end goal potentially being Wolves securing the starlet on a permanent basis, however things didn’t quite go to plan.
How did Francisco Trincao perform at Wolves?
In the 2021/22 season, Trincao secured 30 appearances in the Old Gold, scoring on three occasions and registering just one assist in what was a fairly dreary introduction to his ability in the Premier League.
To the now 23-year-old’s defence, his talents were perhaps not utilised the best by Lage, who struggled to find balance in the squad's attacking dynamic, which ultimately hindered the overall experience for the winger.
As a result of his lacklustre time in Wolverhampton, Wthe Old Gold opted to pay Barcelona to take the winger back as they decided not to pursue a permanent deal based on his season-long cameo.
The Midlands side handed La Blaugrana a fee of €6m (£5.1m) which was pre-planned as an agreed loan fee if the Premier League side weren’t to buy the youngster, with a 20% release clause also in place if the La Liga side were to sell him in the future.
How much did Wolves spend on Francisco Trincao?
From the moment of his arrival, the Portugal international became Wolves’ highest-earner, as they took on his £130k-per-week salary, seeing him earn more than the likes of Raul Jimenez and Joao Moutinho at the time.
Paying his wages for a year amounted to an expense of £6.8m, making the total cost the Old Gold spent on keeping him at the club almost £12m when adding his loan fee paid on his return to Catalonia.
The figure nearing £12m lost to trial the Portuguese at Molineux worked out that the club paid him around £4m per goal, reinforcing the failure of the deal that was sold to have so much promise.
What is Francisco Trincao doing now?
While his numbers were below-par at Wolves, Trincao simply wasn’t utilised as effectively as hoped by Lage, which was evident through the elevation of his play when he left the club.
On returning to Barcelona, the winger was sent on loan back to his homeland to represent Sporting CP, where he has since signed on a permanent basis.
Francisco Trincao's season averages at Wolves & Sporting CP
Season:
2022/23
2021/22
Average match rating
7.05
6.80
Key passes per game
1.4
0.5
Assists
2
1
Goals
10
2
Shots per game
1.9
1.1
Figures via Sofascore
Comparing his statistics per game from the 2021/22 Premier League campaign and the 2022/23 Liga Portugal season, the areas that the 23-year-old was missing in England become more and more apparent, as detailed in the table above.
This season, the 1999-born whiz has made six Liga Portugal appearances for Sporting so far, and is yet to contribute among the goals after scoring 10 goals in the league in 2022/23.
From having the potential to rival Neto to being paid to leave, Trincao didn’t fulfil expectations at Molineux, and vice versa, however the deal will not be looked upon badly, as Wolves continue to adore Neto, and Trincao is once again enjoying his football.