When you look at Wolverhampton Wanderers scrapping for survival at the foot of the Premier League table today, you can’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia, can you? It forces us to look back at the brilliant 2018/19 campaign – a time when they weren’t just surviving; they were threatening to tear down the “Big Six” hierarchy.
That wasn’t just a promotion season; it was an invasion. They stormed into the Premier League like a hurricane.
But time moves fast in football. Those familiar faces have now scattered to the winds, leaving behind a massive void where a resilient, cohesive, and incredibly talented collective – molded by Nuno Espírito Santo – once stood.
Let’s track down those 11 icons to see where they are on the football map today.
1. Goalkeeper: Rui Patrício
Remember the shock when this happened? When Wolves signed the Euro 2016 champion from Sporting CP, the entire Premier League gasped.
It was the moment we realized the Fosun project was real. With his lightning reflexes and icy calmness, Patrício was the undisputed guardian of the Molineux goal for three seasons.
Now: After leaving Wolves in 2021, Patricio moved to Italy, where he featured for AS Roma (2021-2024) and Atalanta (2024-2025).
In May 2025, he was signed by Al Ain specifically for the FIFA Club World Cup, making two appearances before announcing his retirement in December 2025.
2. Center-Back: Ryan Bennett
In a squad that felt like a “Little Portugal,” Ryan Bennett was the slice of old-school English grit. He wasn’t flashy. He was simply there to tackle, head, and put his body on the line. When Wolves pivoted to “modern” ball-playing defenders, Bennett left quietly through the back door.
Now: After leaving Wolves in 2020, Bennett spent two seasons in the Championship with Swansea City. He finished his playing days in League One, representing Cambridge United for two years before retiring.
3. Center-Back: Conor Coady
Who could forget Coady? The captain who literally never missed a minute. Nuno pulled a masterstroke by converting him from a defensive midfielder into a sweeper, spraying “quarterback” passes to the wings with millimeter precision. He was the voice echoing around the empty stadiums during the pandemic, the soul of the team.
Now: Despite being an ever-present figure in the 2021/22 campaign, playing all 38 games, Conor Coady became a tactical casualty when manager Bruno Lage switched to a back-four system.
Seeking to save his career, he joined Everton on loan, but this move marked the beginning of a gradual decline for the defender.
After Everton declined to sign him permanently in 2023, Coady dropped down to the Championship with Leicester City. Although he helped the Foxes secure a return to the Premier League, they suffered relegation again the following season.
By the 2025/26 season, Coady joined the ambitious Hollywood project at Wrexham under Ryan Reynolds. However, struggling for game time even in the Championship, the former Wolves captain was eventually shipped out on loan to League One side Charlton Athletic.
4. Center-Back: Willy Boly
Willy Boly was a cheat code. He was the perfect blend of terrifying physical strength and surprisingly delicate ball skills. He wasn’t just a defender; he was a constant aerial threat on set-pieces.
Now: Boly is still fighting in the Premier League, now wearing the red of Nottingham Forest. Although he has aged and lost a yard of pace, his sheer size and presence in the box remain a nightmare for strikers.
5. Right Wing-Back: Matt Doherty
The 2018/19 season was the year Doherty exploded. Four goals, five assists – his late, ghostly runs into the back post became a trademark that opposition defenses simply couldn’t track.
Now: After wandering years at Tottenham and Atlético Madrid, the prodigal son has returned. He is back at Wolverhampton, the only player from that iconic starting XI who is still at the club today.
He stands as the lone bridge between a glorious past and the difficult present.
6. Left Wing-Back: Jonny Otto
If Doherty was the attacker, Jonny Otto was the balance. Tough, durable, and almost impossible to beat 1-on-1, he was the type of player every manager dreams of having.
Now: Sadly, serious knee injuries derailed his prime, and his time in England ended with a few disciplinary issues.
Jonny has returned to Spain to play for Deportivo Alavés. He plays a more pragmatic game now, using his experience to compensate for legs that aren’t quite as fresh as they used to be.
7. Central Midfield: Rúben Neves
Neves was the symbol of the revolution. Those thunderous long-range screamers? That tactical vision? He made the game look easy.
Now: After a controversial move to Saudi Arabia to join Al-Hilal, Neves remains one of the best midfielders in the Middle East.
But here is the juicy part: as of early 2026, the rumor mill is spinning that he is set for a sensational Premier League at Manchester United. Watch this space.
8. Central Midfield: João Moutinho
Moutinho was the brain. He arrived in England at age 32, and pundits said he was “too old” for the pace of the Premier League. He proved them all wrong, showing that football intelligence beats physical speed every time.
Now: Can you believe he is 39? And he hasn’t stopped. Moutinho is currently pulling the strings for SC Braga in Portugal. He is still playing regularly, delivering assists on a silver platter as if time has forgotten him entirely.
9. Right Forward: Diogo Jota
Jota was the dynamite. Fast, direct, and lethal with both feet, he laid the first bricks for Wolves’ fiery counter-attacking style.
Now: We all know the story: Diogo Jota’s move to Liverpool in 2020 was the career-defining leap that propelled him to the elite level.
Yet, whether you bleed Wolves gold, Liverpool red, or support another club entirely, there is an inevitable, melancholy silence whenever his name is mentioned.
He remains one of football’s most unfortunate figures, a talent that leaves the entire world collectively sighing to ask the painful question: If only…
10. Left Forward: Hélder Costa
Before Adama Traoré became the physical monster on the wing, there was Hélder Costa. He brought flair, trickery, and unpredictability that got fans off their seats.
Now: His career has been much quieter than his teammates’. After a permanent switch to Leeds United, he began to drift across the footballing map, with fleeting spells at Valencia, Al Ittihad, and Estoril Praia.
By 2025, he surfaced at Yunnan Yukun – a newcomer to the Chinese Super League – but his stay was bizarrely short-lived. Information regarding his time in the Far East is scarce, almost as if that chapter of his career evaporated into thin air.
Perhaps the most significant shift, however, came on the international stage, where he officially switched allegiance to represent Angola in 2021.
11. Center Forward: Raúl Jiménez
Jiménez was the perfect piece for Nuno’s puzzle. He could hold the ball up, he could head it, and he could finish. In that 2018/19 season, he was the “Bogeyman” for the top teams.
Now: After a miraculous recovery from that life-threatening head injury – a story that touched the whole football world – Jiménez is still doing the business in the Premier League for Fulham. The predatory instincts of “El Lobo” are still sharp, reminding us all of just how good he was in his prime.
