1:03pm, 06 December 2018

Things seem to be going from bad to worse for Wasps at the moment, who recently recorded rising financial losses and increased debt, as well as reports circulating that Nathan Hughes, Elliot Daly and Willie le Roux are set to leave the club.

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Hughes has been linked with a £500,000 move to Bristol Bears, Daly is reportedly set to join Saracens – for a salary, RugbyPass understands, lower than the one he was offered by Wasps – and Le Roux seems to be bound for a stint in Japan.

RugbyPass sources have confirmed to us three more names to add to the list, with Jake Cooper-Woolley, Matt Mullan and Simon McIntyre all also set to depart the club.

Mullan and McIntyre are both edging closer to agreeing terms with other clubs, whilst Cooper-Woolley has agreed a lucrative deal with Sale Sharks. Sale have been struggling to find a tighthead to anchor their scrum in recent seasons, but believe enough in Cooper-Woolley to invest £300,000 a season in the prop, a substantial increase on his current salary at Wasps.

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In addition to those departures, both Joe Simpson and Will Stuart are likely to leave the club, too. Simpson is one of the last players at the club from their time in High Wycombe, whilst Stuart is one of the more promising players to come through the club’s academy in recent seasons.

Should all these moves be confirmed, Wasps are going to have sizeable holes to fill at loosehead, tighthead, number eight, scrum-half, outside centre and full-back.

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Wasps director of rugby Dai Young clearly has his work cut out this season, not only trying to convince a number of players to stay, but also to fill the numerous holes rapidly emerging in the Coventry-based side’s squad.

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