Wolverhampton Wanderers are targeting some January transfers to strengthen their squad and aid their fight against relegation. The Old Gold lost again in their most recent game, although it was a tough assignment, to say the least. They suffered a 3-1 loss at the hands of top-four challengers Chelsea away from home.
Indeed, that only hammered home the need for more fresh blood in the squad during the second half of the January transfer window.
They are currently one place outside of the relegation zone but are level on points with 18th-place Ipswich Town. Each side has 16 points.
There has already been some transfer activity at Molineux this winter, although not all of it has been positive.
Wolves’ winter transfer business
The only real piece of business conducted so far from Vitor Pereira’s side has been the signing of 27-year-old Ivorian centre-back Emmanuel Agbadou. He cost Wolves a reported fee of £16.6m from French side Reims.
So far, the Ivorian has played three games for the Old Gold, starting twice in the Premier League and once in the FA Cup. He has not been able to stop Wolves from leaking goals, and whilst not necessarily at fault, has been part of a defence that shipped three goals against Newcastle United and Chelsea.
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There was meant to be another incoming at Molineux in the coming days. Wolves thought they had a £10m deal to sign Portuguese midfielder Manu Silva sealed, but the move for the Vitoria Guimaraes star was hijacked.
Instead, he has signed for another Portuguese side, Benfica, who ‘swooped in at the last minute’ according to talkSPORT. As Aguias, managed by former Wolves boss Bruno Lage, are a Champions League side, they are naturally a big pull for any player.
The Old Gold will now surely reassess midfield options given it is clearly an area they want to strengthen. They were recently linked with one Premier League star who they could go in for.
Wolves's Manu Silva alternative this month
The player in question here is Liverpool star Wataru Endo. According to a report last week from CaughtOffside, Wolves are one of several sides ‘monitoring the 31-year-old’s situation’, given he seems to be out of favour at Anfield.
The midfielder is also a target for a couple of other Premier League sides, such as West Londoners Fulham and fellow relegation-strugglers Ipswich. Celtic are also interested, as are Italian giants AC Milan. The Japan star could cost upwards of £12.6m for a deal to get done.
It has been a tough season for the experienced Japan international. He has played just 15 games across all competitions, with eight of those appearances coming in the Premier League. In total, the Liverpool man has featured for 433 minutes, a total of 4.8 full 90-minute games.
However, do not be misled by the fact Endo has not featured much this term. He was a key player for Jurgen Klopp in his final season, playing 43 times and getting himself on the scoresheet twice from the base of midfield.
Endo was a player Klopp clearly loved, which was not only shown in the amount he played the Japanese midfielder but also how highly he spoke about him. Towards the start of his time at Anfield, the legendary German boss said the midfielder has “tackling as a hobby”. According to Klopp, he is also a “machine” in the middle of the park.
This is vital because Wolves seem to be searching for a ball-winner, and Endo could be the perfect alternative to Silva. Their defensive stats via FBref from top-flight football last season are similar, showing the kind of profile Wolves are after.
Per 90 minutes in the Premier League last term, Endo averaged 3.56 tackles and interceptions and 5.65 ball recoveries. In comparison in the Portuguese top flight, Silva averaged 3.65 tackles and interceptions and 6.45 ball recoveries each game.
Tackles and interceptions
3.56
3.65
Ball recoveries
5.65
6.45
Clearances
1.62
3.96
Blocks
1.26
1.17
Aerial duels won
1.62
2.99
It seems like the Old Gold are after a ball-winner to sit at the base of their midfield and break up play. Even though they missed out on Silva, there is a great alternative for a cheap price available, who could bring quality off the ball and more experience to the Wolves side.
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