Wolves look set to miss out on MLS goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina as Premier League rivals Chelsea close in on an £8.6 million deal, as reported by the Express and Star.
The pressure was on this summer. And, one whole month after the Premier League season came to an end, the atmosphere at Molineux hasn’t exactly improved, those toxic clouds spitting acid rain.
Wolverhampton Wanderers supporters wanted to see ambition after a dismal end to the 2021/22 campaign. They wanted a statement signing or two. A couple of eye-catching additions capable of bringing excitement back to the terraces. A cure for insomnia.
So far, however, Wolves have hit a brick wall in their pursuit of Sporting Lisbon defender Goncalo Inacio. Their attempts to sign Marquinhos from Sao Paulo collapsed like a house of cards in a hurricane. And Joao Palhinha, a long-term transfer target who appeared to be on the verge of putting pen to paper just a couple of days ago, could now end up at Fulham instead.
So Chelsea’s impending swoop for the highly-rated Slonina certainly feels like a classic case of seasoning the wounds.
Chelsea will beat Wolves to Gabriel Slonina
The Express and Star claim that Wolves had been pursuing a £3 million deal ‘for a number of weeks’. That is before Chelsea swooped in and blew the Black Country outfit out the water, doubling Wolves’ bid and then some. Slonina, who plays for Chicago Fire on the other side of the pond, will join the 2021 European Champions for nearly £9 million before returning to America on loan.
“He reminds me very much of a young Gigi Buffon,” says MLS legend Tony Meola.
“You look at his body, you look at his movements. I had the chance to be at Parma when Gigi Buffon was there. He’s a guy that you could tell was going to work his way through anything, and that’s kind of what I see from (Slonina).
“He will one day be the USA’s starting goalkeeper. He’s going to be in Europe and needs to be in Europe.”
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