Why Wolves loaning out Bruno Jordao is a win-win situation for all parties

According to the Express & Star, Wolves midfielder Bruno Jordao has joined Portuguese outfit Famalicao on a season-long loan.

The 21-year-old, who arrived at Molineux in a double deal with Pedro Neto from Italian club Lazio last summer, featured only 4 times in all competitions for Nuno Espirito Santo’s brigade in the previous campaign.

Profile

Bruno Jordao rose through the youth ranks of lower-division club Uniao Leiria and made his professional debut during the 2015-16 season. He was transferred to Braga in the summer of 2016 and featured extensively for the club’s reserve side in the Portuguese second-tier.

The 21-year-old was subsequently farmed out to Lazio on loan with an obligation to buy. Jordao made only 3 Serie A appearances during the 2018-19 campaign before Wolves came calling for his services last summer.

The Portuguese U-21 international enjoyed a goalscoring professional debut in an EFL Cup tie against Reading but had to be withdrawn soon due to an injury. He subsequently featured as a substitute against Espanyol in the second leg of the Europa League round-of-32 clash before making his Premier League debut against Chelsea on the final day of the season.

Jordao had a difficult debut season at Wolves

Bruno Jordao and Pedro Neto were roped in as a part of a double raid on Lazio last summer, but both players went on to enjoy contrasting fortunes in their debut season at Wolves. While Neto established himself as a key squad player and showed glimpses of his potential, Jordao struggled to make the grade.

The monopoly of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho in Wolves’ starting XI certainly had a lot to do with Jordao’s struggles. Injuries, of course, made it even more difficult for him to stake a claim for a substantial role under Nuno Santo last season.

As a result, Jordao found himself languishing in the club’s U-23 ranks despite the obvious lack of depth in Wolves’ central midfield. It’s hard to figure out the exact reason as to why the 21-year-old didn’t feature more regularly in the first-team. But it was pretty clear that the manager didn’t consider him ready to make the step up.

Loan deal – Ideal for all parties?

This is not a massive surprise considering that Jordao arrived at Wolves with very little top-level experience under his belt. The youngster definitely needed a change of surroundings following a disappointing debut season in West Midlands. A return to familiar shores in his native Portugal could be exactly what he needs to regain his confidence.

Furthermore, Wolves have already strengthened their midfield with the acquisition of Vitor Ferreira on loan from Porto this summer. That would have made it all the more difficult for Jordao to challenge for a first-team role next season had he stayed put at his parent club.

Jordao needs to play regular first-team football to further his development. At 21, it’s high time for him to enhance his CV with some much-needed senior experience. His prospects of rubbing shoulders with the senior pros on a regular basis certainly look a lot better at Famalicao.

Verdict

Bruno Jordao came through the door at Wolves with a lot of promise. Hence, a loan move away from the Black County outfit certainly doesn’t mark the end of his future in English football. On the contrary, a temporary return to his homeland presents an excellent opportunity for the youngster to come back fitter and stronger.

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All in all, a loan move seems like a fair settlement for all parties and Wolves will be hoping to see an upgraded version of the 21-year-old next summer