Hugo Bueno proves there are still gems to be unearthed for Wolves

Wolves have always put importance on those two variables, despite a period of breaking transfer records with little success, and with this summer’s Financial Fair Play concerns those two skills will now be invaluable.

There are plenty of examples of scouting and coaching coming to fruition in the current Wolves first team, and none more so than Hugo Bueno.

The defender was signed in 2019 from small Spanish side CD Areosa for just £3,000 and within just three years the 20-year-old rose from the under-18s to the first team.

His first Premier League start came away at Crystal Palace in October last year under interim bosses Steve Davis and James Collins, who stepped up from the academy and knew Bueno well.

“To be honest, I really enjoyed it from the first minute, from the very start,” Bueno said. “I wasn’t really playing at the beginning and didn’t know if I was going to be part of the team like I have, but after the change of manager with Steve and James who knew me before, I knew I could have a chance.

“They decided to give me my opportunity against Palace and since then, it was a really good season to be honest.

“Obviously it wasn’t easy because the team suffered a lot, but we worked really hard and I’m very happy to be safe.”

In a game that Wolves lost, Bueno put in a stellar display and provided an assist for Adama Traore.

He added: “It was amazing. It’s difficult to describe because it was a really special moment for me.

“I also knew I was ready because I was working really hard and as soon as I got on to the pitch I was fully focused and concentrated.

“When that ball came to me, I put it into the box and saw Adama head it, it was a really special moment. It was a really happy moment for me and my family as well.”

Bueno has been around the Wolves first team for some time and played a role during pre-season in 2021, before an injury in a friendly against Coventry saw him sidelined for four-and-a-half months.

He returned to play for the under-23s and found impressive goalscoring form from left-back towards the end of the 2021/22 campaign. Now after his first season in the first team during 2022/23, he is targeting his first senior goal.

He said: “It’s one of the things I’ve been thinking about, to score my first professional goal with Wolves. I don’t want to rush it, because if you think too much you will start making mistakes. I’m sure the goal will come and hopefully soon. I’ll keep working and 100 per cent it will come.”

With the 2023/24 season next on the agenda, Bueno is expected to be a key member among a number of good left-back options.

The Spaniard is an important example of how Wolves can find gems for a fraction of the price.

On his first team chance, Bueno added: “It’s amazing. I remember when I was in the under-18s and made the step up to the under-23s, I was dreaming of this moment.

“I remember having an ice bath and seeing all the names and pictures in the dressing room. There were a couple of blank spots with no name and I was thinking ‘I have to be there, that’s my spot’.

“I knew it was going to be tough but I never gave up. When that day came and I saw my name there, it was a really special moment for me.”