The transfer windows at Wolves have been consistent of sadness in recent years.
But, while a spending spree is still not expected next month, the arrival of new boss Vitor Pereira has made the forthcoming trading period even more difficult to predict.
The remarkable discrete -style exception of the windows was in January 2023, when Matheus Cunha, Craig Dawson, Mario Lemina, Joao Gomes and Pablo Sarabia arrived in a month of great expenses that helped Julen Lopetegui to change the club season. It has been a story of frustration and changing objectives.
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This January cannot be the same. Following the sacking of Gary O’Neil and the appointment of Pereira, Wolves have to get it right — their Premier League future is on the line.
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There is one very sensible priority in the January window: stopping the alarming number of goals going past Wolves’ goalkeepers. And that means the center backs.
The sale of Maximilian Kilman to West Ham in the summer followed by Yerson Mosquera’s season-ending injury has left Wolves with just three senior central defenders. This is an issue for a team that has reverted regularly to starting with three in recent weeks.
The form of Craig Dawson combined, from the master demonstration opposed to Erling Haaland to a terror exhibition in Everton. Toti’s persistent have decreased badly in recent years and the head coach of Saperer O’Neil had reservations about Santiago Bueno’s ability to the Premier League.
So, next month, a central half shown and forged with the ability to get straight to the XI principle and the wolves in the open game and landscape is an absolute minimum. Actually, they probably want it. If that means taking credit from players in other spaces of the team to raise money, so be it, because unless they break the rate at which they grant objectives, they have almost no chance of avoiding relegation.
Elsewhere, a left-back would be handy as Toti (centre-back) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (left wing-back) are both better suited elsewhere. A dynamic right winger would be a handy bonus.
But, in reality, the window is composed to rebuild the center of the wolves’ defense.
Nico Elvedi, the Swiss foreign defender most recently at Borussia Monchengladbach, is a perennial target who can return to the agenda. However, the release clause that would have made him a very cheap addition has now expired.
Most of their other central defensive targets from the summer have moved elsewhere. The recruiting team has been running with new odds since closing the last window with no new faces in the center of defense and the arrival of Pereira, his agent Jorge Mendes, a guy close to the wolves, will undoubtedly have players at the helm of Molineux. Formation
After briefly regaining his place in the starting XI, Jose Sa’s form has tailed off again and he has been replaced in goal by summer signing Sam Johnstone, meaning Wolves would consider letting Sa complete the move that seemed on the cards in the summer.
That is unless Pereira has a clear view that he wants his fellow Portuguese as his No.1.
There is an interest from the clubs in Saudi Arabia, however, no official ever arrived. Wolves would possibly want to lower their selling price.
Hwang Hee-chan is also potentially a player to watch. Despite his experience and record of scoring in the Premier League, out of the outfield players regularly outside the starting XI, the South Korean is comfortably the one with the highest value.
So if Wolves need to generate cash to fix that creaky defense, they would possibly have to make offers.
It’s unlikely, however, Goncalo Groedes is an option out of the gates if the wolves need to lose wages for newcomers.
The Portuguese forward defied expectations by staying at Molineux in the summer and has made some eye-catching cameos from the bench. However, he has not made an impact from the start and his second shot at Wolves still appears likely to be a short-term arrangement.
A lot of work has gone into identifying conceivable centre-backs and talks with Pereira and Mendes will inevitably have resulted in potential move targets, but nothing has been agreed yet.
The foundation will be laid through sporting director Matt Hobbs, head of scouting Ben Wrigglesworth and his scouting team. The first team training will have a say in reducing the options they are looking for.
Ultimately, Chief Executive Jeff Shi will have the latest deals made, within the monetary parameters established through Fosun’s owners. Although the Wolves have worked hard for their reliance on Mendes’ gestifute organization, they have a history of turning to the “super agent” in times of crisis and now that he has L, since one of his clients heads the manager, he’ll likely be a key player next month.
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Unlike 18 months ago, when a massive sale of abilities was needed to avoid imaginable penalties, wolves no longer have primary considerations now.
Fosun showed two years ago, when they appointed Julen Lopetegui at a time of major trouble, that they were willing to spend big on players to avoid relegation and protect the value of their investment. But the failure to lure any top-tier managers following O’Neil’s sacking suggests that they are unwilling to do so again.
They have been known to replace the course even a window of movement, but right now it seems that the policy of self-sufficiency is here to stay, so the entire budget will want to be generated.
Spread the defense to remain wolves in the Premier League. Most signatures would be a bonus, but central defenders are essential.
(Top photos: Getty Images)