Wolverhampton Wanderers have become prolific at unearthing flops at Molineux as their scattergun transfer strategy continues to curtail the club's quest for progress.
The Old Gold have suffered through a multitude of ill-fated decisions in the market and this is exemplified by their terrible recruitment in recent years.
While Nuno Espirito Santo's time at the club was largely successful, he did suffer a rather chequered history in the transfer market, bringing in incredible talent such as; Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Diogo Jota, but also failing in equal measure.
The Portuguese manager struggled to hit the jackpot in the striker department, aside from Raul Jimenez, shelling out huge sums of money on youngsters Patrick Cutrone and Fabio Silva. Cutrone only scored three goals in 28 appearances and is currently plying his trade in Serie B.
Silva, meanwhile, is still at Molineux and has only mustered a measly five goals in 71 appearances after costing the club a staggering £35m in 2020.
Another of those failed additions was Willian Jose, who arrived on loan from Real Sociedad in January 2021.
Willian Jose's statistics at Wolves
Wolves were desperate to sign a striker in the winter window after seeing Jimenez sidelined with a fractured skull in November, which left him with only 18-year-old club-record signing Silva to call upon through the middle.
The target man was expected to fill the Mexican's void, utilising his physical presence to occupy defenders and someone capable of bringing others into play, which is exactly the kind of player that the Old Gold had missed in the absence of Jimenez.
Aside from possessing the sought-after physical attributes, Jose was also known for his consistent goal-scoring powers having reached double figures in La Liga across four consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2020.
The Brazilian had accumulated 11 goals to his name in 37 appearances for Real Sociedad in the 2019/20 season, however, in the first half of the following term he'd only mustered three goals in 13 matches, which should have drawn concerns over his form.
Wolves instead chose to ignore the warning signs and instantly regretted that decision after he only managed one goal in 17 appearances for the club.
Whilst it was ultimately a disastrous spell for Jose, who struggled to acclimatise to the Premier League's demands, the only saving grace was the option to buy in his contract wasn't mandatory and the club were able to send him back to Spain in June.
What Willian Jose has done after leaving Wolves
After departing Molineux, Jose endured a loan spell at Real Betis in the 2021/22 campaign and made that move a permanent one last year for €11m (£9.5m).
He's spent the majority of his time struggling to find the net, evidenced by only scoring two goals in 28 La Liga appearances last term.
This season, however, the Brazilian has turned into an animal in front of goal, plundering four goals in eight matches in Spain's top flight.
And on Wednesday night, Jose's scoring exploits reached new heights as he notched a remarkable four goals in a 12-1 victory over sixth-tier side CD Hernan Cortes in the Copa Del Rey.
Perhaps more alarming for Wolves, the man who flopped at Molineux has now scored more goals than any of their current players this term, including in-form danger man Hwang-hee Chan.
