Alious
Wolves’ recent surge in the Premier League has brought a number of their standout performers into the spotlight—but none more so than Rayan Ait-Nouri. Following the team’s thrilling 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux, teammate Jean-Ricner Bellegarde declared the Algerian the best in his position across the entire league.
The emphatic win marked a fourth consecutive Premier League victory under Vitor Pereira—setting a club record and cementing Wolves as the most in-form side over the past five matches. Since Pereira took over from Gary O’Neil, he’s reinvigorated the squad and reintegrated a clear attacking identity, helping the team to rise swiftly away from any relegation fears and toward mid-table stability.
Key to that transformation has been the form of Ait-Nouri. The 22-year-old left-back has thrived in Pereira’s more fluid and attacking system, and against Spurs, he once again showed his class. Ait-Nouri opened the scoring with a composed volley, capitalizing on a goalkeeping error, before later forcing Cristian Romero into a mistake that led to a simple assist for Jorgen Strand Larsen.
That goal and assist brought Ait-Nouri’s tally to 10 goal involvements this season—no Premier League defender has more. His tenth career Premier League assist for Wolves also earned him the club record for a defender, adding to his growing reputation as one of the league’s most dangerous full-backs going forward.
Bellegarde, clearly impressed, took to Instagram to repost Wolves’ celebration of Ait-Nouri’s display, tagging it with the words *“Best leftback in the league”*, signaling just how highly the Frenchman rates his teammate’s recent form.
While it may still be up for debate whether Ait-Nouri is *the* definitive best left-back in England’s top flight—especially with competition from names like Andy Robertson, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Pervis Estupiñán—his current output places him firmly in the conversation.
Defensively, there’s still some refinement needed, but his flair, composure, and increasingly smart decision-making have made him indispensable to Wolves’ resurgence. With his technical skill, tactical growth, and attacking contributions, Ait-Nouri is showing signs that he could soon rank among the elite full-backs not just in the Premier League, but globally.
As he approaches his fifth year at Molineux—having first joined on loan from Angers in 2020—the question now turns to his future. With top clubs likely watching closely and Wolves possibly open to a high-value sale, fans may be bracing for summer transfer interest. But for now, Ait-Nouri remains a critical figure in Wolves’ push to finish the season on a high, and his teammates know just how lucky they are to have him in their ranks.
Alious
