Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered yet another Premier League defeat over the weekend as Manchester City secured a 5-1 win which puts them in the driving seat to claim yet another league title.

The result means the Old Gold have won just once in the top flight since the beginning of March, and it appears their hopes of finishing in the top half are diminishing.

Gary O’Neil’s side struggled throughout the clash against City. Although he has enjoyed a solid debut campaign in charge of the Midlands side, it is clear he could do with adding some more quality players to his first team squad.

Opponent

Result

Man City

Lost 5-1

Luton Town

Won 2-1

Bournemouth

Lost 1-0

Arsenal

Lost 2-0

Nottingham Forest

Drew 2-2

West Ham United

Lost 2-1

Burnley

Drew 1-1

Aston Villa

Lost 2-0

Via Sky Sports

Might the former Bournemouth manager need to sell a player or two during the summer window in order to fund new arrivals? Rayan Ait Nouri could be one of their most sellable commodities at the minute.

Rayan Ait Nouri’s game in numbers vs Man City

The Algerian didn’t enjoy the best of displays against the champions, failing to really contribute effectively going forward.

Despite playing the full match, Ait-Nouri managed just 48 touches while completing 26 of his 31 attempted passes, indicating that his distribution was poor.

Not only that, the youngster failed to deliver an accurate cross or long ball during the match, all while creating zero big chances or making a single key pass in what was a performance that lacked any sort of intensity.

Even defensively, Ait-Nouri struggled, losing possession 11 times, being dribbled past three times, and winning just three of his nine contested duels during the clash.

In truth, the majority of the Wolves side underperformed at the Etihad as it appears fatigue is setting in among the squad.

Ait-Nouri’s performance may have been poor, but the defender has been one of the most consistent players in the first-team squad this season, and he has been attracting interest.

Rayan-Ait Nouri's transfer value in 2024

According to Football Transfers, City are currently weighing up a move for the player this summer as Pep Guardiola seeks to bolster his squad.

Arsenal and Liverpool are also monitoring the left-back ahead of the summer transfer window, and it looks as though his performances this season for the Old Gold could make them a small fortune.

O’Neil has reportedly slapped a staggering £60m price tag on his head in order to deter potential suitors, but judging by their need to comply with financial fair play regulations ahead of next season, if they receive an offer anywhere near that amount, the club will clearly be moving him on.

This type of fee could allow O’Neil the opportunity to add a few more players to his squad in key positions, giving him plenty of leeway in the transfer window.

The talented defender first joined the Molineux outfit on a season long loan deal in October 2020 from French side Angers.

Across his first season at the club, he made 21 Premier League appearances, scoring once and grabbing one assist, which convinced the club to secure a permanent deal for him ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

He ended up costing the club around £9.5m, signing a five-year contract and technical director at the time, Scott Sellars, hailed the youngster, saying:

"We think Rayan is a great signing for the football club. He proved last season that he’s a very talented player, with lots of potential.”

This potential has grown into a player who is attracting interest from some of the finest clubs on the continent, with his displays during the 2023/24 campaign justifying his lavish price tag.

Rayan Ait-Nouri’s statistics for Wolves this season

So far this term, Ait-Nouri has played 36 games for the club – the most in a single campaign since he joined – while scoring three goals and grabbing two assists.

The defender currently ranks in the top ten among the Wolves squad for accurate passes per game (27.7) and big chances created (two) while ranking as high as fourth for key passes per match (0.7) and third for successful dribbles per game (1.8), indicating how much of an attacking threat he poses.

Not only does he shine in his current team, but the 22-year-old has impressed in several metrics when compared to his peers.

Indeed, compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Ait-Nouri ranks in the top 2% for successful take-ons per 90 (2.41), along with ranking in the top 11% for pass completion percentage per 90 (84.9%), suggesting that he loves taking on opposition defenders when he bursts forward down the flanks.

Journalist Dougie Critchley even praised O’Neil’s tactical thinking when it came to deploying Ait-Nouri in a more advanced role, saying:

“I’m really enjoying Gary O’Neil’s use of Rayan Ait-Nouri in 2024. Go where you want to go, do what you want to do, use your technical ability and excellent understanding of space to cause damage. Think he’s been one of the Premier League’s best players in 2024.”

One display in particular stands out recently, and it wasn’t even in the Premier League. Against Coventry City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, Ait-Nouri was sensational.

During the game, he ended up getting on the scoresheet, grabbing an assist, making two key passes, and creating a big chance. The defender was a menace down the left side and was arguably Wolves’ finest performer on the day, despite suffering a 3-2 defeat to the Sky Blues.

If he could deliver performances like this more often, then perhaps O’Neil would be able to slap a bigger price tag on his head.

He is still young and developing, however, but performances such as the one against Coventry have clearly garnered plenty of attention from the big clubs and this summer could be the ideal time for the Old Gold to cash in on one of their most prized possessions.

Indeed, their £60m valuation means Ait-Nouri is worth five times more or 531% more than what they paid for him three years ago. Not a bad piece of transfer business at all.

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