One of the nice surprises of the past season for Wolverhampton Wanderers has been the explosion of Hugo Bueno, which So Foot in France wanted to look a bit more into.
The young left-back has enjoyed a lot more game time this season at Wolves under Julen Lopetegui, and while he has been given a bit of a rest of late, he still seems to be an important part of plans at Molineux.
The 20-year-old boasts 19 first team appearances to date at the club, and that is expected to grow in the foreseeable future, with him tied to the club until 2026 with the option for an extra year.
How did the transfer from Areosa’s U19s come about, though? That’s a question So Foot in France tried to answer as they went to interview the man who worked with him prior to the move, Félix Real.
The man who spotted him was Graham Clutton, one of Wolves’ scouts, and Rial explains how it all happened.
He said: “It was in October, and night was falling quickly. Clutton had time to kill, he came to see one of our games against Porrino Industrial. That day, Hugo was on the left, and his twin, Guille, was on the right.
“I was playing him on the left as a left-back and a winger at the same time, because I knew he was better than all the rest.”
He made such an impression that Clutton ‘extended his stay by a week to get a better look at this mysterious phenomenon’, and would eventually watch him for four games.
Rial said: “As soon as he knocked, I knew it was for Hugo. He told me he wanted to take him in January for six months with Wolves’ U19s. To try him to see if there was something to be done. I agreed I’m mediately, I was so happy that one of our youngsters would go try out in England. His parents too.”
As for what happens after the six months? Nuno Espírito Santo was the one who, when asking about talents in Wolves’ youth team, decided to ‘throw his all’ on this unknown Spaniard.
That’s how ‘182 days after coming out of nowhere’, Hugo Bueno López became a professional footballer.
