‘I’ve since found out’: The ‘absolute bargain’ fee Wolves actually paid to sign Tawanda Chirewa – journalist

Wolvers have high hopes for young Tawanda Chirewa – and journalist Liam Keen has now shared how much the club actually paid to sign him last year.

Chirewa is one of Wolves’ most promising young players and has in recent times made his bow for the first-team.

Chirewa was able to make his debut for Wolves in the FA Cup against Brentford on January 5 and following injuries to the likes of Hwang Hee-chan, Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha, he has gone on to make six appearances in total under Gary O’Neil.

Chirewa’s latest appearance came on Saturday, as he came off the bench against West Ham United – and he found himself at the centre of a hugely controversial moment at the end of the game.

He was deemed to be interfering with West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski as Max Kilman was scoring a header, and referee Tony Harrington ruled the goal out after VAR sent him to the pitchside monitor.

Chirewa admitted the decision left him ‘devastated’. But he is blameless for the goal being chalked off and really, common sense should have prevailed.

But he will hope to get more chances between now and the end of the season, and fans would love to see him perhaps grab a first goal for the first-team.

‘Absolute bargain’ Tawanda Chirewa transfer fee now shared after he joined Wolves last year

Chirewa, 20, signed for Wolves back in 2023 from Championship club Ipswich Town.

In 2020, Chirewa signed a two-year scholarship at Portman Road, before penning a first pro contract just four months later. He had actually already made his senior debut for the club before this, in November 2019.

Chirewa signed for Wolves after turning down a new deal at Ipswich and before today, it had not really been known how much the club paid to snap him up.

This morning though, journalist Liam Keen published an interview with Chirewa, and shared that Wolves had paid £175,000 for the winger.

Speaking in more detail on the E&S podcast, Keen said after attending the U21s’ game with Sunderland on Monday: “I’ve since found out when they signed him from Ipswich in September, that he cost £175,000. That’s it, an absolute bargain. Now I’m sure there’s something in there that means further down the line Ipswich might be compensated more. But that was the up front (fee). Cheap as chips.”

The future is bright for Chirewa

So Wolves only shelled out £175,000 for Chirewa which really is hardly anything, for a player who actually arrived at the club with some senior experience under his belt.

Chirewa – who scored in the defeat to Sunderland on Monday – has been able to dip his toe in the Premier League in 2024 and hopefully when he drops out of the squad to make way for the likes of Hwang and Neto, he will really have that fuel to return.

Within just weeks of signing for Wolves, Chirewa was invited to start training with the first-team and clearly O’Neil feels he has something about him to have given six appearances.

Granted they have been cameo appearances, but Chirewa is a talent and if he knuckles down then he might just make himself an option for O’Neil next season.

The obvious next step would be for him to go out on loan, but we will see what happens.