Matt Jackson, Wolves’ head of professional football development, is relishing seeing how the club’s younger loanees tackle the challenges they face at their temporary clubs.
Nathan Fraser, Tawanda Chirewa, Joe Hodge and Chem Campbell had all experienced the Wolves first-team previously, and Nigel Lonwijk won promotion with Plymouth Argyle, and all are now gaining more experience away from Molineux.
Fraser played ten times for the Wolves first-team last season, scoring two goals, but in a bid to continue his development is currently in the Belgian second tier with Zulte Waregem.
The 19-year-old’s first loan began frustratingly, with an injury keeping him out for three matches, and Zulte Waregem won them all, scoring nine goals, and they're now top after an unbeaten start.
Fraser, who returned to play three minutes off the bench against Club NXT recently, now has the challenge of breaking into a winning team and earning a first start for his loan club.
Jackson said: “We like players to be challenged, not really difficult, but we like it to be tough for them, because they have to learn and learn quickly. Injuries set players back, that's the problem. You go over there, and you get injured quickly, it just raises a doubt for people, it raises a doubt for a coach, as it is at Zulte Waregem.
“They've started the season really well, so a team gets established, and you've got to fight to get back in there, and it might take a bit of time.
“We'll be out there to support Nathan, we've got such good backup with the data processing that we get on the performance side of things, and obviously the rehabilitation stuff through the medical side, those liaisons are good, so we always make sure they're backed up and supported in that regard.
“Ultimately, for the players, they have to get themselves into the team, they have to perform every day in training, and that's part of how they define their level. I just love with Nathan that he's also experiencing early something completely different to anything that he's gone through before, and that's a real credit to him.”
Frustratingly for Chirewa, he’s also currently nursing an injury, having moved to Derby County in August, where he has already gained important experience.
Having played ten times under Gary O’Neil last term and joined the first-team for pre-season in Marbella and the United States, Chirewa moved to the Rams in the Championship and played three times before picking up his injury.
“The boys will pick up niggles because they have to adapt quickly. They have to get themselves in the team, and they have to convince a new set of staff that they have the ability to play every single week and perform every single week, because there's no messing around.
“You have to deliver results when you're a first-team player, and that's the difference now when you go out. That's part of that learning, part of the responsibility that they have to show and Tawanda certainly will be experiencing that now.
“It’s a great experience for him, first loan out, straight into the Championship. Can you be good enough? Have you got the ability to adapt to that level? It’s quite a unique manager in Paul Warne, who makes certain demands on the players. He did it for Ryan Giles, and I really liked what it did for Ryan, and if it does the same for Tawanda, we'll be absolutely delighted. I saw him against Norwich live, he came on as a substitute there in front of a full house, and he will get some great experiences.”
Joe Hodge and Nigel Lonwijk, who played together within the academy, are experiencing loan football together, both at League One side Huddersfield Town.
It’s a level Lonwijk knows well, having won promotion into the Championship with Plymouth two seasons ago. It’s now his fifth spell away from Molineux and he’s started all but one of the Terriers’ matches this season, helping them to victory over Barnsley last time out.
For Hodge, he’s currently absent with a groin injury, which will take time to heal, but like Lonwijk, he’s at a crucial stage of his development, so will hope to make an instant impact, having already played 13 times for Wolves and featured in the Championship with QPR.
“It would be fantastic for Wolverhampton Wanderers if we can have them both in the first-team at some point, and that partnership might develop. It’s a big team in League One, big expectation, good pressure, really a Championship team.
“I wasn't particularly happy with Nigel going back to that level, because he'd already been promoted with Plymouth and we knew he could do it, but it's a good test for them both. Now, we want Nigel to show a bit of leadership, a bit of maturity, be a real senior member of that team, despite his relatively young age, particularly for a centre back.
“For ‘Hodgey’, I'm a little bit surprised he's had to go to that level, because when he went to QPR, I thought he should be very comfortable in the Championship. I was surprised he didn't play more, but I’ve got real belief in his ability.
“We’re trying to get the boys to the 100-game mark as quickly as possible for their experience levels, because you can't fluke that. Once you've got to 100 first-team appearances wherever you're playing, you’ve found a consistency to be a professional. That's a really good thing and Nigel is well on his way to that now.
“It's always football development for us, but we have to look at the commercial angle as well. If clubs are happy to invest salary compensation, it's good for us. We get free development on the players and at that point the loaning club gets a really good return. Certainly, Plymouth got fantastic value for money from Nigel. We benefit from it, and hopefully would have that perfect curve. It's never going to be exactly that way for every player, but that's what we have to combine.”
It's well documented that Chem Campbell is only second behind club legend Jimmy Mullen as the youngest ever player to feature for Wolves, having debuted at Aston Villa back in October 2019.
Now, the wide man is on his fourth loan spell out and has started Reading’s last five matches, scoring his first two goals in the Royals’ recent 3-1 win over Burton Albion, and consistency is now key, according to Jackson.
“It’s just a maturity thing. He’s such a lovely young man, well brought up, you just want him to unleash himself. You see him do things in training where he's got an ability level that's fantastic, but you just feel like you're wanting him to go and really grab one of these loans and be the main part of one of these teams. He's had that impact again at Reading.
“He's been a victim of circumstance in some ways. Some of the clubs have had a quick turnover of coach when he's gone in, things that are out of his control, but the one thing he can control are his performance and output on the pitch, that's the thing we've really challenged him with.”
