Ivan Cavaleiro was once a fan favourite at Wolverhampton Wanderers but his career since leaving Molineux suggests that the Old Gold did brilliantly to sell him for as much as they did.
How did Cavaleiro perform at Wolves?
Wolves would sign the Portuguese winger from AS Monaco in 2016 for what was a club-record fee at the time, and he would play a significant role in their eventual promotion to the Premier League.
He would hit five goals and five assists in his first season with the Old Gold, which included a memorable late winner in a 2-1 triumph away at Brentford.
Paul Lambert sang his praises after the game, saying to the Express & Star (via HITC):
“He’s a threat, Cav. If he can find consistency in his game he’s a massive player. You saw when he came on…I changed his position and I thought he was absolutely fantastic.”
The wide man was able to find that consistency the following season as he was comfortably one of the top performers in Nuno Espirito Santo's side as they won the Championship title and secured a return to the top flight.
Across 42 league appearances, Cavaleiro would contribute a hugely impressive nine goals and 12 assists, a tally which he was sadly never able to achieve in the Premier League for the Midlands club.
Despite Wolves' impressive performances in their first season back in the top division, the former Portugal international would manage just three goals and one assist in 23 appearances, which led to him joining Fulham on loan in the Championship again the following season.
How has Cavaleiro done since leaving Wolves?
The second tier appeared to be his level as he once again earned promotion, with six goals and seven assists under his belt, and the Craven Cottage outfit opted to pay £15m to sign him permanently that summer, which now looks to have been a brilliant deal for Fosun and the Old Gold.
Although he was a regular for the Cottagers in the Premier League the following season, he would manage just three goals in 36 appearances as they were relegated, and that certainly seemed to knock his confidence, as he then notched just two goals in the Championship last season, despite Marco Silva's side running away with the title.
It was no surprise therefore that he was loaned out by Fulham, with the 29-year-old joining Alanyaspor in Turkey, where he boasts a modest return of four goals and three assists in 18 appearances this season.
Unsurprisingly, Cavaleiro's move away from England and lack of goal contributions in recent years have seen his market value plummet since his Wolves exit, with FootballTransfers now suggesting that he is worth just €2.7m (£2.4m), which represents an 84% decrease on the fee Wolves received just three years ago.
