Would Opare arrival threaten Doherty’s place in Wolves’ XI?

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Championship flyers Wolves are reportedly interested in the Ghanaian full back Daniel Opare.

Wolverhampton Wanderers look near certain to gain promotion from the Championship at the end of the season, sitting comfortably in first place, 11 points clear of Cardiff City.

With their return to England’s top flight looking like a job nearly done, the West Midlands club appear to be stepping up their recruitment to help brace themselves for the pressures of the Premier League.

Yesterday, it was reported that the club are looking to bring in Augsburg right-back Daniel Opare, 27, in the summer, to help strengthen the club’s defensive options.

West Ham United have also been linked with the Ghanaian, however their interest appears to be dwindling as they look elsewhere for a new full-back, leaving Wolves as the current front runners for the former Porto man’s signature.

With the club’s existing right-back Matt Doherty absolutely flying though, would the addition of Opare see the Irishman lose his place in Wolves’ starting XI?

Since Dean Saunders’ appointment as Wolves manager in 2013, Doherty has grown to become one of the club’s stalwarts and is nearing 200 appearances for the club aged only 26.

His strong performances at full-back have led to an international call up, although he is yet to actually win an international cap for his country.

Opare has bags of experience playing around various European leagues, and would no doubt be a boost to the squad, however, the 27-year-old’s form has been somewhat disrupted due to lack of consistent minutes on the pitch.

The addition of Opare would open up an interesting rivalry for the right-back position, especially with Doherty having grown to become quite the fan favourite through his spirited performances and dominant displays.

Doherty got a taste of the Premier League during a cameo appearance during the 2011/12 season before Wolves were relegated to the Championship. With the club looking certain to book a spot in next season’s top flight, the Irishman will be wary of losing his spot in the team to potential new arrivals such as Opare and if anything, even talk of the Ghanaian is probably enough to inspire even greater performances from Doherty in a Wolves shirt.

The Wolves fans will no doubt welcome the right-back’s arrival, and hope it can spur on the likes of Doherty as they look to return to the top flight and remain there in the years to come.