Wolverhampton Wanderers were absolutely dazzling to watch in the Championship last season and their productivity on the pitch earned them a direct ticket to the Premier League for the 2018-19 season. Under the tutelage of Nuno Espirito Santo, Wolves clinched the Championship silverware and in all fairness, they deserved to get the uplift.
However, Espirito Santo’s men would be plying their trade against the elite English clubs and the animosity that the Premier League has on offer is unknown to none. They need to sharpen themselves more and making good use of the transfer window to beef up their ranks holds a lot of importance. Wolves have already signed Willy Boly, Rui Patricio, Diogo Jota, Leo Bonatini and Ruben Vinagre already but are keen to add some more players to their ranks.
According to a report by the Birmingham Mail, Wolves are believed to be interested in signing Manchester City starlet, Oleksandr Zinchenko. The 21-year-old made 8 appearances in the Premier League for the Champions last season, 6 of which were starts. However, he is far from being a first-choice player for Pep Guardiola’s side owing to the star-studded arsenal which the Spaniard has under his command.
Besides, talkSPORT has reported that Wolves have already tabled a bid of £16million to lure Zinchenko to the Molineux Stadium, with the fee rising due to £4million worth add-ons. The player is yet to give his consent for his exit from the Etihad Stadium and the report further states that City are willing to offload him with Wolves ready to offer him more time on the pitch.
Capable of operating as a midfielder, winger, fullback as well as a left-back, the Ukrainian international carved his breakthrough last season after a disappointing loan spell with PSV Eindhoven during the 2016-17 campaign. However, Zinchenko’s chances of playing for the English top flight champions is expected to get reduced further with the arrival of Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City, for a transfer fee of £67million. Even though they are unlikely to occupy similar positions, the signing illustrates Pep’s plans to go even more on the offensive this season thereby leaving little room for experiments and errors in defence.
Zinchenko’s move to Espirito Santo’s side should be ideal for all the parties involved. He is an astute passer of the ball, is getting better in the air and is enriched with Pep’s football philosophy which has undeniably made him a more intelligent player. Further, he holds the ball with sheer confidence, makes an immense amount of defensive contribution and no wonder his stocks are highly rated.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored
