This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…
Wolves have seemingly found their feet at long last as they head into the international break on the back of three consecutive victories in all competitions.
Last time out, Nuno Santo’s men recorded the surprising scalp of reigning Premier League champions Manchester City to sink them further behind league leaders Liverpool.
While the west Midlands club themselves moved up to 11th in the table, so maybe the short interval from the domestic season comes at the worst possible time.
One Wolves fan thinks he’s pinpointed the moment when they went from EPL strugglers to “peak Barcelona 2011” in the video below…
Though, it does seem an excellent opportunity to delve into the club a little further to take a look at the next crop of youngsters that could stake a claim at Molineux in the future.
Just this week, the Guardian selected the ‘best young players’ at each club who were born between September 2002 and August 2003.
The ‘Generation Z’ talent they have picked for Wolves is Chem Campbell, who has been at the club since he was 12.
Campbell is a Wales youth international, having been capped three times for the U17s.
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The 16-year-old’s potential has certainly already caught the eye of the Portuguese boss as he was invited on the senior team’s pre-season training camp.
He is described as a ‘skilful, direct dribbler with a knack for bursting forward from central midfield’ which makes it easy to understand why Nuno wanted to take a look at him during the off-season.
Given the reports surrounding a potential exit for Ruben Neves this week, Wolves could well be in need of a midfield option, and even though it remains unlikely that someone of his age gets fast-tracked into the starting XI, movement from those above him in the pecking order could mean he is pushed closer to that chance.
There’s also the age of Joao Moutinho to consider too.
At 33 he is entering the twilight of his career, and it’s hard to predict how long he will last at the top of his game. While he may replicate the likes of Iniesta and Xavi in terms of playing on, he could quite easily be overrun by fitter and younger opposition as he gets even older.
Campbell edging towards the senior fold would even match the ambitions of the club’s owners Fosun, who want the club to start providing from within. That’s slowly starting to pay dividends as seen with Morgan Gibbs-White over the past 18 months, the midfielder has gone on to play 63 times for the old gold.
Having scored four times for the U18s and subsequently moved into the U23 squad since, the teenager could easily follow suit in due course, especially with potential gaps opening in midfield. It’s now over to Nuno to find room for him to get a chance.