Julen Lopetegui wasted no time in setting out his stall, laying out his demands, and making some rather big requests of the Wolverhampton Wanderers bosses.
According to the BBC, the former Sevilla, Real Madrid and Spain boss presented the Molineux hierarchy with a lengthy list of transfer targets after replacing Bruno Lage at Molineux, his heart set on new fewer than six January signings.
And, with around two-thirds of the window still remaining, Lopetegui may be on track to see his wish become reality.
Matheus Cunha has played just 112 minutes in Wolves colours. But, according to Fabrizio Romano, the £44 million option-to-buy clause in his Atletico Madrid contract has already been triggered. The Brazil international – who has impressed in every outing under Lopetegui – becomes the club’s record signing before even scoring his first goal in Old Gold.
Mario Lemina on his way from France
Don’t bet against Cunha welcoming another new face to Molineux before Saturday’s potential six-pointer against West Ham United. Mario Lemina, L’Equipe say, bid farewell to his Nice team-mates on Thursday and is on his way back to England. The former Southampton and Fulham midfielder will cost £10 million. He will sign a four-and-a-half year deal, and should help Wolves cope with the loss of Boubacar Traore to injury.
Lemina, like Troare, is primarily a defensively-minded midfielder, albeit with a decent passing range and an excellent engine. His average of 2.3 tackles per game is higher than any player currently in Lopetegui’s squad bar Ruben Neves and Hugo Bueno (WhoScored). Lemina’s aggression and industry alongside the more technically-gifted Neves could free up Matheus Nunes – who has attacked 2023 with the enthusiasm of a ravenous tiger shark sinking his teeth into a chunk of bloody flesh – to do what he does best in the final third.
Another Atletico Madrid raid
Lopetegui and Mathew Hobbs – in his first window as Wolves’ sporting director – are moving quickly and decisively while the likes of Everton and West Ham frustrate their supporters with a lack of activity. Wolves want additions in almost every area of the pitch, and are certainly going about things in the right way.
According to Romano, Cunha may soon welcoming a familiar face to Molineux; the 33-year-old centre-half Felipe likely to follow his fellow Brazilian out of Atletico Madrid after falling out of favour under Diego Simeone.
Felipe is a physical, battle-scarred centre-half who would add some big-game experience to a backline shorn of Conor Coady and Romain Saiss. Ditto Craig Dawson. The 32-year-old former West Brom stopper is keen on a return to the Midlands, but it remains to be seen if West Ham – who rejected a £5.25 million Wolves bid over the summer – would sell to a relegation rival. The Hammers also have very understandable reservations about selling fellow veteran Michail Antonio to Wolves (Express and Star).
The old and the young
At the other end of the spectrum, 20-year-old Alex Scott is just beginning his footballing journey. The ‘Guernsey Grealish’ will already cost £25 million from Bristol City however. The Telegraph’s John Percy says that Wolves are ‘very keen’ but may feel they can find better value elsewhere. Scott has five assists in 25 Championship games this season.
Further forward, while Daniel Podence and Hwang Hee-Chan have showed glimpses of quality under Lopetegui, major improvements are still required at a side with just 11 goals in 18 league games. In that sense, Pablo Sarabia, a two-time Ligue 1 champion with Paris Saint-Germain, could be a genuinely game-changing, match-winning addition. At 30, Sarabia is the finished article. He has nine goals in 26 games for Spain, and played under Lopetegui during his time in charge of the national team.
Sarabia, a floating right-winger with a surgical left foot, has broken the 20-goal barrier twice in the last four seasons, including during a loan spell at Sporting Lisbon in 2021/22. The Athletic say that Wolves are in talks over a deal that would see Sarabia reunite with his one-time Real Madrid and La Roja boss in England.
Sarabia’s PSG contract expires in 18 months’ time. And, after starting just three Ligue 1 games this season, he could be allowed to go for a cut-price fee.
Pablo Sarabia and Julen Lopetegui reunited
“Pablo is really impressive,” former PSG boss Thomas Tuchel said of Sarabia. “He runs well, with and without the ball. His work without the ball is a great example (for others). He plays with a lot of intensity and does not stop defensively.”
PSG may not stand in Sarabia’s way. Time will tell whether Manchester United take a similar stance with Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The £50 million England international – like so many others – has come on leaps and bounds under Erik ten Hag. He remains Wolves’ number one choice to replace the error-prone Nelson Semedo at right-back.
United will need a replacement before letting Wan-Bissaka go.
The good news, for Lopetegui, is that Man United are weighing up an approach for Celtic’s Josip Juranovic (Record). Funds are tight at Old Trafford. But Juranovic, at £7 million, could fall within Ten Hag’s admittedly-limited budget.
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