Wolves Academy 2025–26 season showcasing progress along the EPPP development pathway for youth players.
Based in the West Midlands, Wolves runs a category 1 academy.
- Academy Director: Jon Hunter-Barrett
- Under-21 Lead Coach: James Collins
Wolves Retained List 2025
View the complete list of Wolves players who have been retained, released, or have returned to their parent clubs following loan spells.
Scholarship year one under contract
- Emilio Ballard-Matthews
- Myles Dayman
- Josh Gidaree
- Mateus Mane
- Bjorn Marwa
- Wes Okoduwa
- David Osifo
- Jake Wilcox
Offers made to the following young prospects:
- Makenzie Bradbury,
- George Hardy,
- Minkyu Ji, Temple
- Ojinnaka and
- James Storer.
Wolves Scholars 2025/26
- Alfie Arnold
- Elvis Elendu
- Hayden Ford
- Xander Grieves
- Elliot Saba
- Ollie Stafford
- Mason Stevens
Wolves Academy Players On Loan 2025/26
Youth players on loan.
- Nigel Lonwijk (Defender) Luton Town
- Arthur Nasta (Goalkeeper) Hornchurch FC
- James Storer (Goalkeeper) Morton FC
- Lewys Benjamin (Goalkeeper) Chester
- Hayden Carson (Defender) Chester
- Harvey Griffiths (Midfielder) Crewe Alexandra
- Josh Gracey (Goalkeeper) Telford United
- Alfie White (Defender) Hednesford Town
- Fabian Reynolds (Forward) Redditch United
- Alfie Pond (Defender) Crewe Alexandra
- Tawanda Chirewa (Midfielder) Barnsley
- Temple Ojinnaka (Defender) Shrewsbury Town
- Xu Bin (Midfielder) Barnsley U21
Wolves Academy Players in the First Team 2025/26
- Mateus Mane (Forward) #36
- Jerome Abbey (Midfielder) #50
Wolves Academy International Players 2025/26
- Jacob Dean-Ford (Defender) England U16
- Kwasi Senya (Midfielder) England U16
- Ashton Williams (Defender) Wales U17
- Xander Grieves (Goalkeeper) Ireland U17
- Wes Okoduwa (Defender) England U18
- Josh Gracey (Goalkeeper) Northern Ireland U19
- Makenzie Bradbury (Midfielder) Wales U19
- Lewys Benjamin (Goalkeeper) Wales U21
- Xu Bin (Midfielder) China First Team
Academy Competitions
U18 Premier League
The league divides teams into North and South groups for the U18s, calling it the U18 Premier League.
Wolves Under-18 play in the North League
Below are the team standings at the winter break, marking roughly the halfway point of the season.
U17 and U18 Premier League Cup
In 2017, the Premier League introduced the U18 Premier League Cup and the U16 Premier League Cup, renaming the latter to the U17 Premier League Cup in 2020 for their respective age groups.
The seven group winners, along with the best runner-up determined by total points, goal difference, and then head-to-head record, will progress to the quarterfinals.
U17 Premier League Cup Group Stage
Wolves U17 are drawn in Group H against under 17 teams from Reading, Swansea and West Brom.
- Wolves U17 lost away against Swansea U17 (3 – 2)
- Wolves U17 lost at home against Reading (0 – 3)
- Wolves U17 lost away against West Brom U17 (2 – 0)
U18 Premier League Cup Group Stage
Wolves U18 are drawn in Group C against under 18 teams from Everton, Southampton and Bristol City.
- Wolves U18 drew at home against Everton U18 (1 – 1)
- Emilio Ballard-Matthews
- Wolves U18 lost away against Bristol City U18 (2 – 0)
- Wolves U18 lost at home against Southampton U18 (0 – 6)
FA Youth Cup
Third Round Proper
- Wolves U18 lost away against Burnley U18 (2 – 0)
U21 Premier League Cup
The Premier League Cup was introduced in the 2013/14 season to enhance competition during the Professional Development Phase.
It added a knockout tournament alongside the regular league schedule. For the 2025/26 season, the format features nine groups.
The top team from each group automatically qualifies for the knockout stage, along with the seven best second-placed teams.
U21 Premier League Cup Group Stage
Wolves U21 are drawn in Group G against under 21 teams from Nottingham Forest, Swansea City and Millwall.
- Wolves U21 lost at home against Swansea City U21 (2 – 4)
- Fletcher Holman
- Eathan Sutherland
- Wolves U21 lost away against Nottingham Forest U21 (1 – 0)
- Wolves U21 won at home against Millwall U21 (3 – 2)
- Saheed Olagunju
- Fletcher Holman (2)
- Wolves U21 won away against Swansea City U21 (2 – 3)
- Dani Angel
- Luke Rawlings
- Caden Voice
- Wolves U21 lost at home against Nottingham Forest U21 (0 – 1)
National League Cup
The National League Cup is a 32-team midweek competition, comprising of 16 Under-21s teams participating in Premier League 2 and 16 National League club first teams.
National League Cup Group Stage
Wolves U21s have been placed in Group B in the 2nd edition of the National League Cup competition.
They will face Wealdstone, Forest Green Rovers, Boreham Wood and Braintree, with all matches being played away from home.
- Wolves U21 lost away against Wealdstone (2 – 1)
- Fletcher Holman
- Wolves U21 lost away against Forest Green Rovers (3 – 2)
- Mateus Mane
- Dani Angel
- Wolves U21 lost away against Braintree (3 – 2)
- Tom Edozie
- Alfie Pond
- Wolves U21 lost away against Boreham Wood (4 – 0)
Premier League 2
Starting from the 2023 season, all 26 Category 1 teams compete in a single league using the Swiss-style format.
Entry into or removal from this league depends on meeting the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) accreditation criteria.
Below are the team standings at the winter break, marking roughly the halfway point of the season.
Premier League International Cup
The participating teams are split into four groups of eight, each comprising four UK-based Under-21 teams and four invited overseas clubs represented by their development squads.
Each UK team will host all four overseas clubs in their group. The results will determine the standings in each group, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stages.
U21 Premier League International Cup Group Stage
Wolves will face Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, PSV Eindhoven and Monaco in Group A of the initial phase of the tournament.
Everton, Manchester City and Southampton are the other UK-based teams in their group.
- Wolves U21 lost at home against Real Madrid Castilla U21 (0 – 1)
- Wolves U21 drew at home against RB Leipzig U21 (1 – 1)
- Tawanda Chirewa
- Wolves U21 won at home against PSV Eindhoven U21 (2 – 0)
- Enso Gonzalez
- Dani Angel
Vertu Trophy (EFL Trophy)
The Vertu Trophy is a midweek knockout competition that includes clubs from EFL League One and League Two, along with 16 invited teams from Premier League and EFL Championship clubs that have Category One Academies.
The competition is regionalised from the opening stage through to the quarter-finals, featuring eight groups in the northern section and eight in the southern section.
Each group features one Under-21 Premier League side
Vertu Trophy Group Stage
Wolves Under-21s have been drawn into Northern Group A, where they will face Salford, Stockport, and Wigan.
- Wolves U21 lost away against Stockport County (5 – 3)
- Tom Edozie
- Mateus Mane
- Wesley Okoduwa
- Wolves U21 won away against Wigan (1 – 2)
- Tom Edozie
- Mateus Mane
- Wolves U21 lost away against Salford (4 – 2)
- Fletcher Holman
- Leo Lopes
Birmingham Senior Challenge Cup
Second Round
Wolves Under 21 have been drawn against Lye Town on 18th November at 7.45 PM
- Wolves U21 lost away against Lye Town (3 – 2)
- Fletcher Holman (2)
Wolves Academy News
10th June 2025
Filozofe Mabete has signed a two-year deal with Swindon Town, pending EFL approval, after being released by Wolves.
16th June 2025
Pre-season starts for the Under-21s vs AFC Wolverhampton City on 12th July (3pm), followed by a closed-door match vs Bristol City U21s on 19th July.
A warm-weather camp with two European fixtures (TBC) follows. The squad then face Norwich U21s (2nd Aug), Cardiff U21s (5th Aug), and West Brom U21s (9th Aug) in further closed-door games.
18th July 2025
Joe Hodge, a 22-year-old midfielder, has completed a permanent move from Wolves to Portuguese club CD Tondela.
22nd July 2025
French international Bastien Meupiyou has completed a move to Primeira Liga side FC Alverca. The centre-back joined Wolves last summer from Ligue 1 club Nantes.
23rd July 2025
Marvin Kaleta has joined Rotherham United from Wolverhampton Wanderers on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
The 20-year-old defender made 21 league appearances for Motherwell last season while on loan.
12th August 2025
Promising young winger Emilio Ballard-Matthews has put pen to paper on his first professional deal with Wolves.
19th September 2025
Makenzie Bradbury has signed his first professional contract. The talented midfielder has also represented Wales at youth level, from under-16 to under-18.
Midfielder Minkyu Ji and center-back Elvis Elendu have both signed their first professional contracts with Wolves.
24th October 2025
Wolves Academy defender Jacob Dean-Ford and midfielder Kwasi Senya have earned a call-up to the England Under-16 squad for the upcoming Football Federations Cup in Antalya, Türkiye.
30th October 2025
Jon Hunter-Barrett is departing Wolves after 14 years to take up the position of Academy Director at Rangers.
19th November 2025
A youthful Wolves team fell 3–2 to Lye Town in the Birmingham Senior Cup.
4th December 2025
Wolverhampton Wanderers U18 exited the FA Youth Cup in the third round following a 2–0 defeat away to Burnley.
1st January 2025
Josh Gracey loan has been extended at Telford United until the end of the season.
14th January 2026
Twenty-one-year-old Fletcher Holman has completed a permanent transfer to League Two outfit Swindon Town.
Holman joined Wolves in January 2024 from National League club Eastbourne Borough, having previously come through the academy at Brighton & Hove Albion.
15th January 2026
Fletcher Holman has departed Wolverhampton Wanderers on a permanent basis, with League Two side Swindon Town securing the striker in the January transfer window.
21st January 2026
Wolves academy graduate Caden Voice has completed a permanent move to League One side Cardiff City.
The 19-year-old central defender joined the club at the age of five and progressed through every stage of the academy system.
30th January 2026
Wolves have signed highly rated 17-year-old forward Dapo Anunlopo from League Two side Bromley.
The Ireland-raised attacker joins the club’s under-18s at Compton Park after impressing during a six-month spell with the London club.
10th March 2026
Defender Hayden Carson has recently left the Wolves Academy to join Salford City on a permanent contract.
26th March 2026
Wolves forward Fabian Reynolds has signed for MLS Next side Huntsville City.
13th April 2026
Wolves Academy midfielder Luke Rawlings has activated a one-year extension on the professional contract he signed in April 2025.