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Wolves’ 2017/18 Championship-winning squad: Where are they now?

Wolves were promoted back to the Premier League in style back in the 2017/18 campaign when they won the Championship with 99 points. 

Nuno Espirito Santo, who had only come in during the summer, had completely overhauled the club’s fortunes after a 15th-place finish in the previous season.

With the addition of big names such as Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota, the Old Gold transformed into an entertaining side with a five-at-the-back system. 

Now, seven years on from an unforgettable campaign, Molineux News takes a look at where each major player from the squad is now.

GK – John Ruddy 

John Ruddy of Wolverhampton shouts instructions during the Sky Bet Championship match between Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers at St And...
Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images

Wolves’ number one goalkeeper for the 2017/18 campaign, John Ruddy joined from Norwich on a free that summer.

From here, the former England international spent five seasons at Molineux and was used as a back-up in the Premier League

After playing in the Europa League and a FA Cup semi-final, Ruddy left the club on a free to join local rivals Birmingham City.

GK – Will Norris

Wolverhampton Wanderers' English goalkeeper Will Norris gestures during the English League Cup fourth round football match between Manchester City ...
Photo credit should read ANTHONY DEVLIN/AFP via Getty Images

Used as a back-up to Ruddy, Will Norris was the cup ‘keeper for the campaign. Here, the Englishman impressed, and he didn’t concede a single goal in the Carabao Cup as Wolves heroically went out to Man City on penalties.

After a loan spell to Ipswich Town in the 2019/20 campaign, he moved to Burnley in 2020 where he spent three years.

In 2023, he was on the move again, this time to Portsmouth as he became their first-choice goalkeeper on the way to winning the League One title.

Defender – Matt Doherty

James Meredith of Millwall and Matt Doherty of Wolverhampton Wanderers during the Sky Bet Championship match between Wolverhampton and Millwall at ...
Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images

The only member of the squad still at the club, Matt Doherty has now made over 300 appearances for Wolves in his two spells at the club. 

After leaving Molineux in 2020, he joined Spurs and played in the capital for two-and-a-half seasons before joining Spanish giants Atletico Madrid for six months.

In 2023, he made his return to Wolves where he has remained ever since.

Defender – Barry Douglas

Barry Douglas of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 1-1 during the Sky Bet Championship match between Bristol City ...
Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images

A bit of a cult figure at Wolves, while Barry Douglas may have only played one season at Molineux, he made a big impact.

Joining from Turkish side Konyaspor in 2017, the left-back immediately became Nuno’s first choice.

Playing in 42 games across all competitions, Douglas was able to provide goals and assists at vital moments.

Upon promotion to the Premier League, the Scotsman was sold to Leeds United and helped them achieve promotion in 2020.

In 2021, Douglas then returned to Poland to play for Lech Poznan where he lifted the league title in his first campaign.

Now at 35 years old, Douglas is without a club after being released in the summer.

Defender – Ryan Bennett

Ryan Bennett of Wolverhampton Wanderers during the Sky Bet Championship match between Wolverhampton and Leeds United at Molineux on November 22, 20...
Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images

Another excellent signing, Ryan Bennett was brought into the club on a free from Norwich after his contract expired.

Here, the centre-back managed to push his way into the starting XI and scored an iconic late-winner against Bristol City.

After two years in the Premier League, Bennett was released and joined Swansea City in the Championship.

In 2022, he later joined Cambridge in League One and has now been without a club since the summer.

Defender – Danny Batth 

Danny Batth of Wolverhampton Wanderers during the Sky Bet Championship match between Queens Park Rangers and Wolverhampton at Loftus Road on Octobe...
Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images

The official captain for the campaign, Batth’s final season in the Wolves first team was no doubt a memorable one. 

Upon promotion, the defender was loaned out to Middlesbrough before securing a permanent move to Stoke City in 2020.

Spells at Sunderland and Norwich followed until he signed for Blackburn Rovers in August 2024.

Defender – Conor Coady

Conor Coady of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates at full time after the Sky Bet Championship match between Birmingham City and Wolverhampton at St...
Photo by James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images

The season that made Conor Coady’s career. The Englishman was only a squad player until Nuno came in a transformed the midfielder into a centre-back.

Here, Coady shone and made over 300 appearances for Wolves before departing for Leicester in 2023.

Since then, the former captain has helped the Foxes return to the Premier League after winning the Championship last season.

Defender – Willy Boly

Willy Boly of Wolverhampton Wanderers motivates his team mates during the Sky Bet Championship match between Wolverhampton and Fulham at Molineux o...
Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images

Wolves’ brick wall at the back, Willy Boly remained an incredible Wolves asset when they were in the Premier League.

In his five seasons at Molineux, he played 147 times and is arguably the best central defender the Old Gold has had this century. 

In 2022 after a series of injuries, he departed Wolves for Nottingham Forest where he has helped them remain in the Premier League.

Defender – Roderick Miranda

Roderick Miranda of Wolverhampton Wanderers during the Sky Bet Championship match between Wolverhampton and Barnsley at Molineux on September 23, 2...
Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images

A forgotten part of the Wolves side, Roderick Miranda was Nuno’s first-choice centre-back at the start of the campaign.

However, the form of Ryan Bennett eventually pushed the Portuguese defender out and from there, he struggled for first-team appearances.

As a result, he had loan spells at Olympiacos and Famalicão before permanently leaving the Old Gold for Turkish side Gaziantep.

After a season in Turkey, he then moved to Australia and joined Melbourne Victory in 2021. Miranda is still at the club and captains the side.

Defender – Ruben Vinagre 

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Portuguese defender Ruben Vinagre (R) vies with Manchester City's Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure during the English League ...
Photo credit should read ANTHONY DEVLIN/AFP via Getty Images

Seen as a bright upcoming star, Ruben Vinagre joined Wolves initially on loan from Monaco for the title-winning season.

Upon promotion, he was awarded with a permanent deal and was an important part of the first-team squad for the first two seasons.

However, Rayan Ait-Nouri’s arrival eventually led to a series of loan moves before he permanently departed for Sporting in 2022. 

In Portugal, he has once again been out on multiple loans, most notably to Everton and Hull City. Vinagre can currently be found at Polish side Legia Warsaw on loan.

Midfielder – Alfred N’Diaye 

Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images

Another cult-like figure thanks to his short but successful time at Wolves. Alfred N’Diaye returned to his parent club Villarreal after his Old Gold spell before quickly being sent out to Malaga on another loan deal.

From here, he spent a few years at Saudi side Al-Shabab before returning permanently to Malaga in 2022.

Most recently, N’Diaye played for Armenian side FC Noah but departed in 2024. The 34-year-old has been without a club ever since. 

Midfielder – Ruben Neves

Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images

A modern Wolves legend, many already know Neves’ story. 

After promotion, the midfielder continued to progress and made over 250 appearances for the Old Gold, eventually becoming the captain in the 2022/23 campaign.

With Wolves falling into FFP trouble and Neves’ contract only having a year left, he departed the club for Al-Hilal for a then-record fee.

In Saudi, he guided his new side to the title as well as the King Cup and the Super Cup with the Portuguese international aiming to repeat this feat this season.

Midfielder – Romain Saiss

Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images

Romain Saiss was another long-term servant of Wolves after the 2017/18 campaign.

The Moroccan international was integral to the Old Gold finishing seventh in back-to-back Premier League seasons where he eventually transitioned into a central defender.

However, his Wolves journey came to an end in 2022 when he parted from the club at the end of his contract and joined Besiktas.

After a year in Turkey, he moved to Al Sadd in Saudi Arabia. He spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan to Al-Shabab but has since returned to his parent club.

Midfielder – Morgan Gibbs-White

Photo by Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images

Wolves’ Young Player of the Year for the 2017/18 campaign, Morgan Gibbs-White now isn’t remembered as fondly around the Molineux faithful.

A series of successful loan spells eventually saw interest spike from newly-promoted Nottingham Forest

As a result, the now-England international made the move to the East Midlands in 2022 and has helped Forest remain in the Premier League.

Forward – Diogo Jota

Photo by Ashley Western – CameraSport via Getty Images

Another iconic player, Jota finished as Wolves’ top scorer in the 2017/18 campaign with 18 goals in all competitions. 

After two highly successful seasons in the Premier League where he established a fantastic partnership with Raul Jimenez, Jota departed the club for Liverpool.

During his time in Merseyside, he has helped the Reds win the FA Cup and League Cup while also finishing as runners-up in the Champions League during the 2021/22 season.

Forward – Leo Bonatini 

Photo by Craig Mercer – CameraSport via Getty Images

Leo Bonatini quickly announced himself to the Molineux crowd when he netted a winner on his debut against Middlesbrough on the opening day.

While the Brazilian striker would net a further 11 goals during the campaign, he did not find the net again in the league after Wolves’ 1-0 victory over Birmingham City in December 2017. 

Despite this, Wolves purchased the loanee from Al-Hilal at the end of the season where he bit-part in the first Premier League campaign before being loaned to Nottingham Forest.

More loan moves away from Wolves followed before his contract was terminated in 2022 and he joined Atletico San Luis in Mexico where he remains to this day.

Forward – Helder Costa

Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images

Wolves’ Player of the Season from the 2016/17 campaign managed to fully recover from his long-term injury to play a big role in the following season. 

The winger netted five goals from 39 appearances in all competitions as part of Wolves’ stacked attacking line.

However, after promotion, his role in the first team was reduced and he was eventually sold to Leeds United after a successful loan spell.

Helder Costa was able to guide the Yorkshire side to promotion in his first permanent season and played another season in the Premier League before he was loaned out to Valencia and Al-Ittihad.

In October 2023, Costa left Leeds via mutual consent and eventually joined Portuguese side Estoril in August 2024.

Forward – Ivan Cavaleiro 

Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/Getty Images

For the title-winning campaign, Ivan Cavaleiro finally sprang to life after a difficult first season at Molineux.

The winger netted nine times in the league before becoming an important player in Wolves’ first Premier League season.

After this, he eventually joined Fulham where he helped oversee two promotions back to the top-flight with a relegation to the Championship sandwiched in between.

His time in the capital came to an end in 2023 and he joined French side Lille for a sole campaign.

In September 2024, the winger signed for Brazilian side Red Bull Bragantino.

Forward – Bright Enobakhare

Photo by James Baylis – AMA/Getty Images

Another youngster who was brimming with potential, Bright Enobakhare never reached the heights expected of him.

After making 26 appearances in all competitions during the campaign, Wolves chose to loan the attacker out when they reached the Premier League.

However, with the exception of a bright spell at Coventry City, he found little success.

He eventually left Wolves in 2020 and joined AEK Athens, but despite scoring on his debut, he left the Greek side less than four months into his contract after it was dissolved. 

Enobakhare then had various spells at numerous clubs where he found little to no success. 

The attacker can now be found in the Qatari Second Divison playing for Al Bidda.

Forward – Benik Afobe 

Photo by Craig Mercer – CameraSport via Getty Images

The final player on this list, Benik Afobe returned to Wolves in February 2018 on loan from Bournemouth as he looked to secure the Old Gold’s return to the Premier League.

In his short spell, the striker did well and netted six times in 16 appearances, with caps many coming from off the bench.

At the season’s end, Wolves did purchase Afobe, however, he was quickly sold to Stoke City for a profit.

After failing to make his mark at the Potters, the striker was loaned out to numerous sides and helped before moving to fellow Championship side Millwall. Here, Afobe had a brief return to form before leaving in 2023.

Since then, Afobe has played for multiple Middle Eastern sides and now makes his trade for Mesaimeer SC in the Saudi Second Division.

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