Academy manager for football, Jon Hunter-Barrett, has given his grateful thanks to the six under-21 players departing this summer.
Taylor Perry, Jack Hodnett, Luke Matheson, Lee Harkin, Michael Agboola and Jack Scott are all bidding farewell to the Old Gold, and Hunter-Barrett is hopeful their journeys through the academy will provide them with the platform to become successful elsewhere.
Hunter-Barrett said: “We wish all of the players well as they move on and hope the experiences they’ve had with us will aid them with whatever they go on to do.
“We hope, throughout their journey at Wolves and the academy, the players have got the skills to go on and be successful in their endeavours, both in football and in general life.”
All six players played some part in James Collins’ 2021/22 promotion winning squad, as Wolves returned to the highest tier of youth football, alongside reaching the final of the Premier League Cup in the same season.
21-year-old Perry departs Molineux having first joined the academy as a seven-year-old. The midfielder has spent the majority of the last two seasons on loan in League One with Cheltenham Town, and made his first-team debut for Wolves in September 2019, coming off the bench in a third round EFL Cup tie against Reading.
One month later, Perry started and assisted in the same competition at Aston Villa, before playing the final 20 minutes as the Old Gold rounded off their Europa League group stage campaign with a 4-0 victory over Besiktas.
Speaking on Perry’s time at the club, Hunter-Barrett said: “Taylor has been here all the way through the academy and has also gone on to represent the first-team.
“He’s another player to progress through the pathway, but unfortunately his time with us is coming to an end. He’s a keen worker, can handle the ball and play in different areas of the midfield and I wish him every success.”
Hodnett is another product of the academy, having progressed through the ranks at Compton Park since the age of eight before turning professional in March 2021.
“Jack’s been here since the age of eight coming right the way through the programme,” said Hunter-Barrett. “His super strengths are his techniques, which are really strong. He’s a really likeable, hardworking individual.”
After joining from Rochdale as a 17-year-old in January 2020, Matheson’s three-and-a-half year stint with Wolves comes to an end this month. Aged just 15, Matheson became Rochdale’s youngster ever player and hit the headlines when scoring against Manchester United in the EFL Cup before his move to Wolves.
Hunter-Barrett said: “Luke signed for us after his successful start against Manchester United at Old Trafford and is a player we monitored for a while. He’s a great person and character around the building, but has been unfortunate with injury setbacks which have stopped him from really being able to kick on through the programme.”
Harkin, Agboola and Scott all move on to pastures new this summer and Hunter-Barrett has provided his closing thoughts as their time at Wolves comes to an end.
“Michael’s (Agboola) strength is his personality. He’s an unbelievable character around the place and he’s helped mentor his peers – players the same age as him and players who are younger.
“Lee’s (Harkin) attitude and work ethic around the building has been excellent. His persistency and availability to play has also been really good.
“Jack (Scott) signed for us at the age of 15 and came across from Ireland into our programme. He did well and played for the under-18s and under-21s. Again, his super strengths are his work ethic, attitude and mentality.
“We wish all six players the very best of luck in their future careers, and we will be there for them over the next few years if they need anything to help them on their journey.”
