Rayan Ait-Nouri’s five-year spell at Molineux has come to an end after the Algerian agreed a permanent move to Manchester City.
The wing-back joined Wolves as a teenager from Angers back in October 2020 and grew in stature at Molineux year on year, representing the club on 157 occasions and entertaining supporters throughout.
Ait-Nouri scored on his debut against Crystal Palace – the first of 12 goals he registered for the club – and showed early signs of promise under Nuno Espirito Santo, which led to his loan becoming permanent the following summer.
Under Bruno Lage, the youngster developed defensively, before scoring the first Premier League match winner of the Julen Lopetegui era, memorably firing home at the death to secure three big points at Everton on Boxing Day 2022.
Soon after that Goodison Park strike, the wing-back made his senior Algeria debut and last year he represented his country at the Africa Cup of Nations while an Old Gold player.
It was during the 2023/24 campaign, now under Gary O’Neil, where Ait-Nouri truly nailed down his shirt. Making the most of the attacking freedom the wing-back role afforded him, the 23-year-old registered seven goal contributions, including Premier League strikes against Fulham and Burnley.
That positive trajectory continued last season, with Vitor Pereira becoming Ait-Nouri’s fifth permanent Wolves manager. The 23-year-old started all but one Premier League match and was directly involved in 11 goals – a divisional high for a defender.
His final strike for the club came in a 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in April – a match where he also provided an assist – and he closed the curtain on his Wolves career on the final day against Brentford, with the club set for an eighth successive top flight campaign.
All at Wolves would like to thank Rayan for his efforts over the past five years and wish him the best of luck for the future.
