Ahead of Julen Lopetegui’s arrival at Wolves in November, Nelson Semedo didn’t look to have much of a future at Molineux.
How has Semedo played for Wolves?
The Portuguese right-back joined Wolves from Barcelona in a £28m deal back in 2020 but has struggled to justify his transfer fee in his three years in the Midlands.
In total, the 29-year-old has made 92 appearances for the Old Gold, contributing two goals and four assists, arguably failing to live up to his reputation as an attacking right-back, having notched double figures for assists in his time with Benfica and Barcelona.
The former Portugal international has struggled most with defending, with the Athletic’s Tim Spiers labelling him a “liability at the back” in 2021, which has certainly proven to be the case on a number of occasions.
Semedo’s performance against Brighton and Hove Albion earlier in the season, ahead of Lopetegui’s arrival, perhaps summed up his time in a Wolves shirt best, as he was tormented by Kaoru Mitoma throughout the game and received a first-half red card.
However, Lopetegui has clearly worked on Wolves’ defensive set-up as a whole and Semedo has clearly benefitted, with the defender’s vast improvement one of the key reasons that the Old Gold are now looking up the table rather than over their shoulder at the relegation battle.
The right-back was also nominated for the February player of the month award and earned plenty of praise from Lopetegui for his recent upturn in form.
The Spanish manager said: “He’s showing that he is a good player, above all. He loves football and works very hard every day. He is very focused now.
“I can only talk about my experience with him here and we are happy with him.”
Despite him averaging a disappointing 6.53 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the Premier League this season, Semedo has earned above a 7/10 rating in recent wins against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as a strong display in the 1-1 draw against high-flying Fulham.
Although his current contract is set to expire at the end of the season, it was reported recently that Wolves would activate the extension in his deal to ensure that he remains at Molineux for the 2023/24 campaign.
After his impressive displays under Lopetegui, fans will no doubt be looking forward to seeing how the Portuguese defender continues to improve under the Spanish manager next season, in what represents a huge turnaround for the right-back in the opinion of the fans.
