Wolves youngster Harvey Griffiths has made the short journey down the M6 to join Walsall on loan for the 2023/24 season.
The midfielder made his senior debut in gold and black earlier this week as he replaced Joe Hodge in the second half of Wolves’ 5-0 win over Blackpool in the Carabao Cup second round at Molineux.
Oldham-born Griffiths has progressed through the professional phase of Wolves Academy having arrived at the club in the summer of 2021 from Manchester City, where he was integrated into Steve Davis’ under-18 side.
Having been part of the Man City side which claimed the 2020/21 U18 Premier League title, Griffiths played a key role in Wolves’ run to the FA Youth Cup semi-finals the following campaign, which included scoring at Molineux in the 3-1 quarter-final victory over Brighton & Hove Albion.
During the same season, Griffiths also featured for James Collins’ under-21s, with the defensive midfielder scoring twice in 15 appearances as the team claimed promotion to Premier League Division 1 via the play-offs.
He continued to progress with the development squad during the last 12 months, as he found the net four times, as well as adding another four assists during the under-21’s league campaign, while Griffiths was also included on the bench for a Premier League fixture for the first time in November, as Wolves took on Brighton at Molineux.
Having made his senior debut this week, the 19-year-old joins up with Mat Sadler’s side for the remainder of Walsall’s League Two campaign.
Wolves’ pathways manager, Steve Davis, hopes the loan will be a positive test for the youngster as he gets his first taste of EFL football.
“He’s 19 now and played quite a lot of 21s football, so the next stage is to get out and experience men’s football and learn how to win games, how you go about that and the rewards you get with that within a team environment.
“When you’re in development, sometimes you get massively carried away with just focusing on yourself and for him, it’s now about what he can bring to the team at Walsall.
“However, the first thing he needs to do is get in the team. He needs to fight for a place because sometimes when you’re a senior player in the 21s, you’re always going to play because you’re one of the better players in the team, and you just become a natural first name on the teamsheet.
“Going there, Walsall have got good players in his position, so he’s got to fight for his place, so it will be interesting to see how he goes about it.
“But It’s a great opportunity, it’s down the road and it’s a club that we’d like to build relationships with, so I hope he does well for them.”
