Defender Nathan Collins has completed a permanent move to Brentford after 12 months at Molineux.
The Republic of Ireland defender joined the club from Burnley last June, but after the arrival of Julen Lopetegui as head coach in the winter, found regular gametime more difficult to come by.
The 22-year-old started Wolves’ opening eight 2022/23 games alongside Maximilian Kilman, but by the end of his suspension, following a red card against Manchester City, head coach Bruno Lage had departed.
Under interim head coach Steve Davis and Lopetegui initially, the former Stoke City man remained in the side, but following the arrival of the experienced Craig Dawson, fell out of favour.
Used off the bench seven times from that point, occasionally as Lopetegui opted for the back three, Collins played his part in guiding Wolves to Premier League safety, before returning to start the season concluders against Everton and Arsenal.
Now, he makes a permanent switch to West London ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Sporting director Matt Hobbs said: “Nathan’s a player we have huge belief in, and personally I still think he’ll be a centre back at a top six club, but we have to understand he’s not playing the football he wants – at his age, he just wants to play games.
“Sometimes a deal arrives which works for both parties. Nathan can go and get his football and we protect ourselves in the long-term, so when he achieves what I think he’ll achieve, we’ll also see a benefit from that.
“While we’re not happy to lose a player like Nathan, sometimes situations mean you have to allow these deals to happen, while making sure you protect the club at the same time.
“I’d like to thank Nathan for his commitment and contributions over the past 12 months and wish him the best of luck in the future.”
