Wolverhampton Wanderers are facing a slight re-shape this summer, after bidding farewell to eight players already this window.

One area that the Old Gold will look to improve is the defence, however, the club have struck gold in their capture of one star whose value has continued to rise during his time in the Midlands.

How much is Hugo Bueno worth?

Signed by Wolves back in 2019 from Areosa U19, Hugo Bueno has risen through the ranks from the academy at the club to being a player on the brink of being a regular in the first team.

Purchased for a fee in the region of £3k, the youngster has flourished in the Midlands with journalist Dean Jones praising Wolves for their business in bringing the defender to the club, with him now being valued at around £8m.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Jones said:

“It’s a great piece of scouting, a great piece of profiles like that. And whoever it was that determined that deal. Absolutely deserve so much praise because it worked out brilliantly for them. But yeah, you don’t see many examples of a player being bought for such little initial outlay have been worth so much money in a relatively short space of time.”

How good is Hugo Bueno?

After making his Premier League debut last October, former care-taker manager Steve Davis praised the Spaniard as being “excellent” against Crystal Palace.

The versatile left-back has captured the eye of Newcastle United this summer, according to Football Insider, who claimed the Magpies had shortlisted the 20-year-old on their list of full-back targets.

As echoed by Jones, Wolves deserve a wave of credit for their development of the Vigo-born gem, who has glistened since his arrival in England, starting from his integration to the academy.

In the 2021/22 Premier League 2 campaign, the versatile defender made nine goal contributions in 14 appearances, scoring three and assisting six to showcase his strengths in the final third if given the freedom to roam on the flank.

Last season was off to a similar start, in which the youngster claimed two assists in four appearances, before being pulled to compete among the best on show at the club in the first team.

Not many could have anticipated the rise of the academy graduate in the first team, after being introduced at a time in the season where clarity was sparse due to a change in manager and the club being a poor run of form.

Once lauded as a “promising talent” by Express and Star Wolves correspondent Liam Keen, Bueno went on to record 21 appearances in the Premier League following his debut, cementing himself as a first-team regular at Molineux and a recognised performer in Europe.

As per FBref, the 20-year-old averaged 3.57 progressive carries per 90 over the past year, ranking him in the top 8% of full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues, showing just how much of valuable acquisition the Spaniard is.

From purchasing a £3k player, to harvesting a defender worth in the region of £8m, Wolves struck gold in signing the full-back, who could prove to be a fundamental figure in Lopetegui’s plans next term with a defensive rebrand expected.