Third time, as they say, is often the charm. And Wolverhampton Wanderers will be praying that time-old cliché rings true; the Premier League strugglers once again entering negotiations with a coach who has rebuffed their advances twice since the summer of 2016.
Personal reasons forced former Spain, Real Madrid and Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui to turn down the Molineux job again a couple of weeks ago. But while Wolves’ fingers have been burned before, there is a real confidence that the Black Country outfit will finally get their man, at the third time of asking (Guardian).
Lopetegui’s arrival, should he finally sign on the dotted line, would come at a pretty good time too. The January transfer window is less than two months away, after all. And the 56-year-old’s extensive contact book could prove to be rather handy as Wolves prepare to back Bruno Lage’s successor with a sizeable transfer warchest (90Min).
Six players Julen Lopetegui could bring to Wolves
Rafa Mir – Sevilla
Let’s start with a familiar face. Rafa Mir has unfinished business at Molineux after managing just two league appearances in Old Gold between 2019 and 2021. Could the now-25-year-old centre-forward be tempted back to the Black Country by a coach who paid £14 million to sign him from Wolves just 14 months back?
Mir has scored 29 goals in his last two seasons on Spanish soil; 16 of those coming during a superb loan spell at Alaves.
“He’s strong, his hold-up ability is good and, for a player in that manner, he’s got really good pace,” Spanish football expert Terry Gibson told El Tel and Jon’s La Liga Weekly podcast after Mir scored a wonderous hat-trick against Real Valladolid in 2021.
“I think he’s got the talent.”
Youssef En-Nesryi – Sevilla
With Sasa Kalajdzic and Raul Jimenez stuck on the treatment table, and with Diego Costa proving that his temper still burns white hot with a needless red card last weekend, attacking additions are a must for a Wolves side who have scored a dismal six goals in 13 Premier League games.
And En-Nesyri, a target for West Ham a year-and-a-half ago, would give Wolves a completely different direction in the final third; bringing blistering speed to the table, and the ability to expose high defensive lines with his breakneck acceleration.
The late-blooming Moroccan produced the most prolific season of his career under Lopetegui at Sevilla; 24 goals in 2020/21 alone.
Joan Jordan – Sevilla
Joao Moutinho looks past his best at 36. And Ruben Neves is not going to stick around forever, with Barcelona among his many suitors. Lopetegui, then, could soon find himself facing up to the prospect of life without two of Wolves’ most iconic modern-day footballers.
And this is where Joan Jordan comes in. One of the more underrated playmakers in European football, the stylish Spaniard could step into Neves’ shoes effortlessly with his supreme passing range and terrific set-piece delivery.
Alvaro Odriozola – Real Madrid
Lopetegui was still getting comfortable in the Santiago Bernabeu dugout when Odriozola joined Madrid from Real Sociedad to the tune of £30 million in 2018. Four years on, with the rampaging right-back little more than an expensive afterthought in the Spanish capital these days, Los Blancos would reportedly consider selling the four-time Spain international for a fraction of his initial price-tag.
The right-back spot is another area of Wolves’ squad lacking in depth; Jonny Castro Otto unsuited and Nelson Semedo injury-prone. Odriozola, meanwhile, would relish a reunion with a coach who trusts in his talent after a difficult spell in Madrid.
Vincent Aboubakar – Al-Nassr
Lopetegui’s hopes of a January spending spree are likely to be undermined by the simple fact that clubs don’t tend to cash in on their prized assets midway through the campaign. Wolves, then, may have to cast the net a little wider in pursuit of mid-season additions; the Saudi Arabia-based Aboubakar one potential bolt-from-the-blue addition.
The 30-year-old Cameroonian was a reliable source of goals under Lopetegui at Porto, and tends to find the net wherever he goes. A short term loan deal, like the one that brought Odion Ighalo to Manchester United for instance, may be worth considering.
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