Wolverhampton Wanderers reportedly want Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala as their first Premier League signing.
Promotion to the Premier League has been assured and the Championship title wrapped up.
Now, Wolverhampton Wanderers are preparing for a return to the big time with the funds and the ambition to make a real splash in the transfer market.
It is understood that Wolves are keen to sign Eliaquim Mangala on a free this summer when his contract at league champions Manchester City expires, four years after they paid a huge fee to sign the centre-back from FC Porto.
Somewhat inevitably, Mangala – who is earning wages of £85,000 a week at City and recently saw a loan spell at Everton cut short through injury – is one of many players represented by Jorge Mendes; the super-agent with a close connection to Wolves’ Chinese owners.
But it is a sign of the times at Molineux that a player who became the most expensive defender in English football history back in 2014 is now far from guaranteed a place in Nuno Espirito Santo’s starting XI.
Wolves’ Championship title triumph was built on a formidable defence. Willy Boly, the superb Porto loanee who is expected to sign for the club permanently, has kept 20 clean sheets in 35 Championship starts this season, while Conor Coady and Ryan Bennett have excelled alongside him in the back three.
All have seemingly justified being given a chance in the top flight.
So Mangala, who has struggled in England ever since arriving at City, would face a fight to get into Nuno’s first-team, which shows how quickly things have changed at Wolves.
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