Gary O'Neil earned his laurels at Wolverhampton Wanderers last season, taking an outfit that was generally expected to struggle against the pull of relegation and securing a comfortable 14th-place Premier League finish.
Now, though, the tactician is crafting a squad capable of reaching new heights, with last summer's selling spree mitigating any notion of concerns around PSR and freeing up room to tinker away with freedom at present.
Shrewd deals for talented up-and-comers have already been realised, and while the Old Gold are financially sound, it's long been expected that Pedro Neto could be shipped on, with the £60m-rated winger linked with Manchester City, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Should the Portuguese depart, Wolves appear to have earmarked a replacement for about a month now, and could soon pounce.
Wolves summer transfer news
Last month, GIVEMESPORT revealed that Wolves were considering a swoop for Sunderland's Jack Clarke, with the talented winger valued at around £30m by the Championship side.
Clarke, 23, has been one of the second tier's finest players in recent years and could look to take a second shot at the Premier League after a forgettable transfer to Tottenham Hotspur when he was a youngster.
Crystal Palace are also known suitors, and following their sale of Michael Olise to Bayern Munich for £50m, it might be wise for Wolves to act quickly and ensure they get the deal over the line, especially if Neto completes his stay in Black Country.
What Jack Clarke would bring to Molineux
Clarke was awarded Sunderland's Player of the Season following his exemplary performances last year, scoring 15 goals and adding four assists across 40 Championship appearances.
A natural wide marksman, Clarke has been praised for his "devastating" ability in front of goal by former boss Tony Mowbray, with immense speed and sharp dribbling skills to form quite the complete skillset.
A left-sided player, he could even prove to be O'Neil's own version of Diogo Jota, handing Molineux the second coming of the free-scoring Liverpool sharpshooter, who once netted 44 goals and bagged 19 assists in 131 games in Old Gold.
Invariably menacing in the final third, Jota is one of the most clinical players in world football, ranking among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90, as per FBref.
Clarke is also a steady scorer but, moreover, offers ball-carrying and creative skills that could see him become quite the remarkable presence on the flank for Wolves, ranking among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Championship last year for shot-creating actions, progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90.
23/24
Liverpool
32
15
4
22/23
Liverpool
28
7
8
21/22
Liverpool
55
21
6
20/21
Liverpool
30
13
1
19/20
Wolves
48
16
6
With that kind of style, Clarke is more aptly placed in the same bracket as Crysencio Summerville, with the Leeds United phenomenon recorded as the Black Cat's most comparable player in the Championship, via FBref.
Summerville is quite the hot property at present, on West Ham United and AS Roma's radar after being crowned the Championship MVP last term. The Hammers, newly led by Julen Lopetegui, have actually tabled an opening proposal.
The Dutchman, who posted 19 goals and nine assists over 41 starting appearances in England's second tier last year, proved to be creative, convincing and combative all, averaging 2.6 key passes, 2.3 dribbles and 5.8 duels per game.
Clarke produced similar results, completing 2.3 key passes per game but also incredibly averaging 3.7 dribbles and winning 8.0 duels per outing. Is it any wonder he's been described as a "ball-carrying monster" by analyst Ben Mattinson?
Wolves were actually linked with Summerville when he was in his footballing infancy back in 2019, and now Molineux could strike and land a player of a similar ilk. But one, perhaps, who could prove to be every bit as deadly and more.
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