Wolverhampton Wanderers have had plenty of successes, and failures, in the transfer market over the years since Fosun completed their takeover of the club in 2016.
They arrived at the Molineux stadium with the side in the Championship and have overseen a promotion to the Premier League and European outings during their time in the Midlands so far.
Fosun's most expensive Wolves signings:
Player
Fee paid (Via Transfermarkt)
Matheus Cunha
£42.8m
Matheus Nunes
£38.5m
Fabio Silva
£34.3m
Raul Jimenez
£32.5m
Goncalo Guedes
£27.9m
As you can see in the table above, the Wolves owners have been willing to splash the cash at times to secure big talent in an attempt to improve the squad. Whilst it has not always paid off, their ambition over the course of their ownership of the club to date should be commended.
Nuno Espirito Santo, who led the team to promotion in 2018, enjoyed a fantastic spell as manager of the Old Gold and played a part in a number of successful transfers.
However, there was one deal, in particular, that could have been a huge blunder as the Portuguese head coach tried to sign Jesus Corona in 2020.
Were Wolves interested in Jesus Corona?
A Bola, via Sport Witness, reported in the summer of 2020 that Wolves were keen on a deal to sign the winger from Porto to bolster their attacking options.
The outlet claimed that the Premier League side had a bid worth up to €24m (£21m) turned down by the Portuguese giants, who were asking for a fee of €30m (£26m).
They were not prepared to cash in on their star forward unless a team came in and activated his €30m release clause and Wolves were seemingly unwilling to go that high for his signature, as he remained at Porto for the 2020/21 campaign.
Although, interestingly, the club did not go on to sign an alternative winger during that summer transfer window, despite Diogo Jota's departure to Liverpool.
Why were Wolves interested in Jesus Corona?
Santo attempted to swoop for the Mexico international after the talented ace enjoyed an impressive 2019/20 season in Portugal and, on paper, appeared set to be an excellent addition to the squad.
He had racked up an outstanding four goals and 21 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions for Porto in the campaign prior to the £18m bid from Wolves.
Corona recorded an excellent average Sofascore rating of 7.17 as he created 11 goals and produced 13 'big chances' for his teammates in 33 league starts.
That impressive form came off the back of his return of nine assists and 11 'big chances' created in 34 league outings throughout the 2018/19 season.
These statistics show that the Porto star was consistently creating superb opportunities for his fellow attackers on a regular basis from a wide position, as he proved himself to be a reliable creative threat.
Whereas, no Wolves player managed more than nine Premier League assists during the 2019/20 campaign and Joao Moutinho's tally of eight led the way throughout the previous term.
What happened to Jesus Corona?
After Santo failed to secure a £21m deal for the Mexican whiz's signature in 2020, the Porto forward endured a frustrating 2020/21 season.
Corona scored three goals and assisted 13 in 48 matches in all competitions, which included zero goals and three assists in ten Champions League outings.
This means that he was directly involved in nine fewer goals than the 25 he contributed to throughout the previous campaign for the Portuguese side.
He followed that up with a dismal start to the 2021/22 season as the Mexico international failed to score a single goal and assisted one in 18 games for Porto.
These statistics show that his output at the top end of the pitch dropped significantly. Corona went from being a consistent threat in the final third, with goals and assists, to rarely contributing with big moments to change or win games for his side from a wide position.
His downturn in form over the 18 months that followed the interest from Wolves culminated in a transfer to Spanish side Sevilla during the January transfer window in 2022.
How much did Sevilla pay for Jesus Corona?
Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that the LaLiga outfit secured a €3m (£2.6m) deal to sign Corona from Porto ahead of the second half of the 2021/22 campaign.
This means that the 30-year-old forward's value plummeted from the £21m that Wolves were seemingly prepared to spend on his signature in 2020.
Within 18 months, the Mexican magician was worth £18.4m less than the reported value of Santo and Fosun's bid to bring him to England.
This suggests that the former Wolves boss dodged a huge blunder for the club in his failed effort to sign Corona. The player's performance on the pitch took a downturn and his value followed suit.
Therefore, the Old Gold would have signed a player who would not have added much on the pitch with his contributions at the top end of the pitch, based on his post-2019/20 form for Porto, and could have lost millions if they went on to sell him for £2.6m, or around that fee.
Where is Jesus Corona now?
At the time of writing (06/10/2023), the 30-year-old attacker is currently playing for Monterrey in his home country and has assisted one goal in three appearances since his move during the summer transfer window.
His switch back to Mexico came after a less-than-impressive spell in Spain with Sevilla, where he failed to recapture the Porto form that led to Wolves' interest in him in 2020.
Corona scored three goals and produced four assists in 28 matches in all competitions for the Spanish outfit, which included three goals and four assists in 24 LaLiga clashes.
His statistics since Santo failed to sign him show that the Old Gold dodged a huge blunder ahead of the 2020/21 season and the ex-Wolves boss will surely look back on that with a sigh of relief.
New boss Gary O'Neil, who replaced Julen Lopetegui over the summer, will now be hoping to avoid any disasters in the transfer market throughout his tenure at Molineux over the months, and possibly years, to come.
