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Enough is enough – Wolves must call time on this on-loan 22-year-old’s tenure

Why Wolves parting ways with loanee Jesus Vallejo would be ideal

According to The Mirror, Wolves could be set to part ways with Real Madrid loanee Jesus Vallejo during the January transfer window after a disappointing first half of the campaign at Molineux. 

As per the report, Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has hinted that the 22-year-old could be set for a premature return to the Bernabeu, insisting that things haven’t worked out for the highly-rated Spaniard despite his obvious talent and potential. 

Having played a handful of games for Real Madrid in the La Liga and the Champions League, Vallejo came through the door at Molineux this past summer with a lot of expectations on his shoulders. 

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Jesus Vallejo has struggled to make a positive impression since arriving at Wolves on loan from Real Madrid (Getty Images)

However, the Spanish U21 international has struggled to transform all his promise and potential into something meaningful over the course of his brief stint at Wolves so far. 

Vallejo has clocked up just 7 first-team appearances across all competitions, playing the full ninety minutes in the Premier League just once which came in a 5-2 humiliation at the hands of Chelsea way back in September. The 22-year-old did start against Reading and Aston Villa in the EFL Cup earlier in the campaign. 

Born in Zaragoza, Spain, Vallejo rose through the youth ranks of Real Zaragoza and impressed for his boyhood club in the Segunda Division before earning a coveted move to Real Madrid back in the summer of 2015. 

The 22-year-old was immediately loaned back to Zaragoza for the 2015-16 campaign and spent the following season on loan at Frankfurt before eventually making his debut for the Los Blancos during the 2017-18 season. 

However, after managing just 19 appearances for Madrid across two seasons, the centre-back was farmed out on loan to Wolves this past summer with the hope of enhancing his development with more regular minutes at the highest level. 

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Vallejo has only made 7 appearances for Wolves in all competitions so far this season (Getty Images)

With that in mind, though, things clearly haven’t worked out for Vallejo at Molineux. Willy Boly’s long-term injury was supposed to open the door for the Spaniard to establish himself in a substantial role under Nuno Santo, but he hasn’t been able to make any sort of a positive impression whatsoever. 

The injury to Boly has left Wolves somewhat short of specialist cover at the heart of the defence, with the former Porto star’s prolonged absence from the mix making it all the more difficult for the club to cope with the challenge of playing on multiple fronts, especially in the Europa League. 

Vallejo, who had been roped in on loan from Madrid in the summer, was supposed to step in and plug the hole left by the Frenchman’s injury.

His inability to make an impact has forced the manager to rely on the likes of Romain Saiss and Leander Dendocnker alongside captain Conor Coady in his preferred back-three system.

Plus, with Ryan Bennett struggling to reach the same heights as he did last season, academy graduate Max Kilman has taken advantage of the club’s ongoing crisis at the back to establish himself ahead of Jesus Vallejo in the pecking order. 

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Vallejo is set for a premature return to Real Madrid in January (Getty Images)

Verdict

Thus, it is easy to see that the whole purpose of the 22-year-old’s loan move to Molineux has been defeated. There is no point in retaining his services until the end of the season when the manager seems more comfortable fielding makeshift players like Saiss and Dendocnker at the back. 

Although Wolves need cover at the back heading into the crucial second half of the campaign, they might as well look to terminate his loan spell and send him back to Madrid. 

That would free up space for a new arrival and in all honesty, it hardly makes sense for Wolves to pay him the wages for doing next to nothing. 

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All in all, Wolves cutting ties with Jesus Vallejo before the end of the January window should be an absolute no-brainer.