Bottom of the Premier League table, and with the second-worst goal difference in the division, this Wolverhampton Wanderers side appear to have more problems than Jay-Z on a particularly bad day.
No team in the top-flight has scored fewer than their eight goals in 15 games. Toothless, muzzled, bark worse than their bite; take your pick of the puns. Wolves by name, the Old Gold have more closely resembled a tired old mutt slumbering by the fire during a lifeless, listless campaign.
Their issues are not merely located in the final third either. Jose Sa has just four clean sheets to his name so far. And while the Max Kilman – Nathan Collins partnership has shown some promise, the decision to let both Conor Coady and Romain Saiss leave over the summer appears to have backfired, a dearth of experience at the back leaving Wolves prone to collapses like that 4-0 home defeat to Leicester and that 3-2 loss versus Brighton and Hove Albion.
At least, with the January transfer window now less than a month away, new head coach Julen Lopetegui will not have to wait long to put his stamp on a side lacking depth and thrust at both ends of the pitch.
Julen Lopetegui’s La Liga revolution at Wolves
The list of players linked with a move to Molineux following Lopetegui’s appointment reads like a ‘who’s who’ of high quality La Liga talent. According to AS, Atletico Madrid are open to letting Brazil international Matheus Cunha leave with Wolves in talks to sign the former RB Leipzig and Hertha Berlin forward.
Skilful, powerful and boasting a real penchant for the spectacular (he did not win 2019’s Bundesliga Goal of the Year award for nothing), Cunha is also on the radar of Everton, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace. Per 90Min, however, he is keen to work with Lopetegui at Molineux, super-agent Jorge Mendes key to his potential arrival.
Wolves are also in talks with Cunha’s Atletico team-mate and fellow Brazilian Felipe. 33 years old and a giant at 6ft 3ins; the former Porto colossus would certainly bring an uncompromising streak to a Wolves side who have been far too easy to play against at times. Felipe is, after all, a graduate of Diego Simeone’s School of Hard Knocks.
David Garcia of Osasuna is another name on Lopetegui’s radar (Mundo Deportivo). Garcia is six years Felipe’s junior but will be far more expensive, at a reported £17 million. The Pamplona-born giant has captained Osasuna eight times in La Liga this season, and would provide a real aerial presence at both boxes. Garcia scored four times from centre-back in 2021/22..
Some much-needed defensive depth
Now, it remains to be seen if it will be a case of Garcia or Felipe or Garcia and Felipe. Garcia is right footed but equally comfortable on his left. As such, he could potentially line up alongside Felipe in a new-look Wolves backline, with two new additions allowing Lopetegui to rotate and rest during a hectic fixture schedule.
Real Madrid’s five-time Champions League winner Nacho Fernandez is another potential option (AS). A man with more versatility than Daniel Day Lewis; Nacho can play anywhere across the defence and, like Felipe, will be a free-agent in 2023. Per Marca, the Spain international currently has no interest in signing an extension at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Nacho’s is a face that will be familiar to Lopetegui. They worked together at Real Madrid and in the Spanish national team. Ditto Marcos Acuna; the £12 million left-back who played arguably the best football of his career under the Wolves boss at Sevilla.
Per La Colina de Nervion, Acuna has been told he is free to leave in January. And a reunion with his former boss is reportedly on the cards in England. Aggressive, adventurous and relentlessly attack-minded; Acuna was arguably the finest left-back in La Liga last season.
January could be key to Wolves survival prospects
Lopetegui has already confirmed his intention to utilise the winter window to the best of Wolves’ ability, though it remains to be seen how much cash the 56-year-old will allowed to splash.
“My responsibility is to try and improve (the team). When the market opens, we have this possibility. And I think we are going to do that,” Lopetegui told the Birmingham Mail recently.
It is unlikely that Lopetegui will get all of his targets, and certainly not in January. The Wolves rebuild is likely to be a gradual one, taking place over a couple of windows. But there is no reason why Lopetegui cannot embark upon a large-scale overhaul if given time and enough backing.
Felipe and Nacho are both out of contract next year after all. Acuna is available for just £12 million. Garcia has a £17 million release clause in his contract. And though Cunha will not come cheap (Atletico wanted around £40 million over the summer, per talkSPORT), space for further additions could be opened up by the departures of long-serving, high-earning players such as Raul Jimenez, Joao Moutinho and Adama Traore.
Exactly how much business Wolves can do in January, only time will tell. But, with talks regarding Cunha and Felipe underway, and with Acuna, Nacho and David Garcia also lined up, you could not accuse the Premier League’s bottom club of letting the grass grow beneath their feet.
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