Danny Batth was the subject of a £2m bid from Leeds in the summer – but Wolves must be glad they’d kept him on last night’s evidence.
Even the most ardent Manchester City supporter will agree that Wolverhampton Wanderers deserved better than to lose on a penalty shoot-out in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
The Championship leaders kept Pep Guardiola’s usually prolific City off the scoresheet for 120 torturous minutes on Tuesday night before Claudio Bravo’s penalty shoot-out heroics shepherded the below-par Premier League giants into the next round.
Wolves, however, will come out of the game with far more credit than a City side boasting the mercurial talents of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and second-half substitute Kevin de Bruyne. Nuno Espirito Santo’s well-drilled back five did him proud at The Etihad. And no one more so than influential captain Danny Batth.
Wolves fans had been queuing up to criticise the long-serving skipper last season and, when Wolves reinforced their defence with the signings of Willy Boly and Roderick Miranda from Portuguese football in the summer, it appeared that the plug was to be pulled on Batth’s career at Molineux.
The Sun (page 61, July 9th) even claimed that Wolves were willing to listen to offers for the defender and Championship rivals Leeds United had launched a £2 million bid.
Since forcing his way back into Wolves’ starting XI in September, however, Batth has looked simply impenetrable at times. And, alongside Kortney Hause and Conor Coady at The Etihad, helped Wolves become the first side to keep City off the scoresheet at home since Manchester United back in April.
Leeds, then, will only wish they’d managed to get a deal over the line in the summer. After all, while Batth was keeping Wolves afloat at City, Leeds were going down 3-1 to another Premier League side, Leicester City.
With Wolves top of the Championship right now, however, Batth may get the chance to prove himself in the Premier League soon. And, on Tuesday night’s evidence, he could fit right in.
He’s worth far more than £2m now.
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