The Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters had to be a little nervous when Julen Lopetegui said he was leaving the Old Gold after just nine months because of disagreements on important issues.
It had seemed like the team would be relegated again this season, but the Spaniard had led them to Premier League safety after they had appeared hopeless before his arrival.
However, the Molineux team under Gary O’Neill may have taken a few by surprise with their results in the first few months of the 2023–2024 season.
They proved they can compete with the best on their day when they not only beat Tottenham Hotspur in their final game before the international break, but they also triumphed against Manchester City and drew with Newcastle United.
Consistency is a problem, as Wolves slipped up to Sheffield United and Ipswich Town, yet this will come with time and things are looking good at the Old Gold.
O’Neil has largely inherited a squad which was built by his predecessors, yet with the January transfer window fast approaching, the former Bournemouth manager could delve into the market and bring a player or two to the club in order to bulk up his squad.
Wolves transfer news
In light of this, Football Insider reports that Wolves are vying for Le Havre defender Arouna Sangante, a center-back who is currently being pursued by both Newcastle and Wolves.
According to a previous report from the same source, the Molineux team will also face fierce competition for his signature in the coming weeks from teams like Manchester United, City, and Chelsea. The odds are undoubtedly against them.
The good news is that the club has dispatched scouts to observe his performances and that a reasonable fee of approximately £20 million may be obtained to sign him.
However, O’Neil needs to move quickly because some of the greatest teams on the continent are reportedly interested in the young player, and the coming weeks may be critical in their pursuit of him.
Wolves has a history of success when acquiring players from Ligue 1, so is there a chance the manager will pull off a masterclass akin to Rayan Ait-Nouri and lure Sangante to the Midlands?
Rayan Ait-Nouri’s market value at Wolves
The defender initially joined the club on a season-long loan deal in 2020, before sealing a permanent switch a year later for a fee of £9.5m and it has proven to be a wonderful bargain.
The Frenchman has made 68 appearances for the team since the beginning of the 2021–2022 campaign. He has three goals and seven assists, demonstrating his ability to threaten offensively from the left side of the defence.
He has been one of O’Neil’s most reliable players in the top flight this season, as evidenced by his solid performances, which currently rank him sixth among the team for successful dribbles per game (1.7) in the Premier League, along with rankings of fifth for key passes per game (0.8) and seventh for accurate passes per game (25.8).
Football Transfers estimates his market value to be €14.6 million (£12.6 million) at the moment. While this has somewhat dropped, at one point during his time at Wolves, his value was estimated to be €25.8 million (£22.4 million), and if he keeps up these recent strong performances, there’s little doubt that his value may increase once again.
Over the past 12 months, teams like Chelsea, Juventus, and Liverpool have all been monitoring the left back; if he were to transfer, the Old Gold would undoubtedly make a sizable profit in the process.
If they sign Sangante in January, they can duplicate this masterclass, and he has the ability to excel as a defender for Wolves.
Arouna Sangante’s career statistics
Talent scout Jacek Kulig called the 21-year-old, along with a group of other Senegalese youth players under the age of 23, “interesting,” and his recent performances for Le Havre have undoubtedly supported this claim.
The center-back was a standout player for the team, which is now in seventh place in the standings after winning the Ligue 2 championship the previous season and earning promotion back to the top flight after a 14-year break.
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