Wolverhampton Wanderers have beaten four Premier League clubs to the signing of highly-rated youngster Josh Esen, with The Athletic claiming that Manchester City were also keen.
This is not the first time the Black Country giants have pipped Pep to the post this year either.
Joining from Atletico Nacional in a £4.5 million deal, centre-half Yerson Mosquera became the first signing of the Bruno Lage era back in July.
The 20-year-old obviously felt that first-team football would be easier to come by at Wolves than City, however, and with good reason.
If £41 million Dutch international Nathan Ake and the outstanding Aymeric Laporte are struggling for game-time under Guardiola, it is not hard to imagine Mosquera becoming the latest South American starlet on City’s books farmed out to one of their many sister clubs across the planet.
Josh Esen follows in Yerson Mosquera’s footsteps
Two months after Mosquera put pen to paper, 17-year-old Josh Esen was following in his footsteps, opting for Old Gold despite interest from the reigning Premier League champions.
It is believed that the one-time Swansea City starlet, who caught Wolves’ eye with some exciting performances at Llanelli Town, had admirers at up to five top-flight clubs before making the near 175-mile trip from Carmarthenshire to Wolverhampton.
Given Lage’s superb track record when it comes to youth development, Mosquera, Esen and the likes of Kamran Kandola, Jake Hesketh, Taylor Perry and Luke Cundle should be confident that opportunities will come their way, providing they continue to develop behind the scenes at Molineux.
Joao Felix famously blossomed under Lage at Benfica, firing the Lisbon giants to the 2019 Primeira Liga title before joining Atletico Madrid in a deal worth somewhere in the region of £103 million.
We are not saying Esen or Cundle will do the same, of course, but the signs are certainly good.
