Club Brugge are on the verge of finalising the signing of Wolves midfielder Owen Otasowie, after he rejected offers from Everton and West Ham United, according to Voetbalkrant.
The Premier League rivals were among a host of sides to explore deals for the New York native this summer. Otasowie wants to leave Molineux to secure a regular first-team role, having watched his rise stagnate in the West Midlands.
Nuno Espirito Santo awarded Otasowie his senior debut against Besiktas in the Europa League group stage in December 2019. But the 20-year-old had to wait another year to make his Premier League bow, coming on at the break against Chelsea in December 2020.
Otasowie only took 20 minutes to find his feet against Frank Lampard’s Chelsea, though. He assisted Daniel Podence shortly into the second-half to pull Wolves level, and protected the backline for a 2-1 win. The youngster then player three more games over the next four.
However, his promising winter fizzled out, and Otasowie only played twice more before the season was over. Now, the one-cap United States international is ready to leave Wolves to get his career back on track.
Everton, West Ham, Ajax and Schalke all expressed concrete interest in signing Otasowie if he leaves Wolves this summer. But he has selected Belgium as his next destination and is now on the verge of joining Club Brugge.
Otasowie believes he will get regular first-team minutes at the Jan Breydel Stadium under Philippe Clement. The Blauw-Zwart are currently sixth in the Jupiler Pro League table after one win and two draws in three games, after winning the Belgian title last season.
Everton and West Ham miss out on Wolves’ ‘excellent’ midfielder Otasowie
Otasowie selecting Club Brugge as his first stop away from Wolves will deny Everton and West Ham an excellent midfielder. The engine room anchor has spent his entire career at Molineux since joining from the Mass Elite Academy in 2017.
He has shown plenty of promise in Wolves’ U18s, U23s and over his seven senior outings – totalling 202 minutes – though. He has often lacked consistency in the junior ranks, but has the potential to flourish into a real star. Just in Belgium, rather than Merseyside or London.
“He’s an excellent technician,” U23s boss James Collins told Wolves’ website. “A real good physical specimen and he’s a really good kid. He’s a strong boy and that’s good, but at times he needs to learn when to switch it on and switch it off. I think his talent, his drive and his intelligence, I think he can be a very, very good player.”
Everton and West Ham would likely have faced a £5m fee to sign Otasowie from Wolves, per The Athletic. The Molineux outfit accepted they would have to look for suitors this summer after he rejected a new contract at the club.
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