18 Jan 2025 14:14:18
Rumours of malacia leaving, surely then someone has to come in then. Wb is our weakest position and letting him go regardless of his ability leaves us worse off. Maybe mendes?
18 Jan 2025 15:11:50
Maybe amass can take his place and finally be given a game. Supposedly has good potential may save us some money in the lomg run.
18 Jan 2025 16:05:01
If anyone we might even remotely need leaves in January I’ll eat my hat. Especially any left-sided player.
18 Jan 2025 18:01:49
Tim
The whole Mendes fantasy comes from his reps wanting better terms from PSG, as supported by the impending signing of a new contract on better terms.
He hasn't once even mentioned the mooted interest from United, let alone declared any will to join RA at United.
I fully believe that, whether or not Malacia leaves, we must try to get Alvaro. He knows the club, he knows most of the players, he's thrived in the Portuguese football culture from which the core elements of work and press are being coached into our players by RA, he's a good age with a decent attitude, and he ticks just about every jeffing box.
Beyond Alvaro, who else is available for a reasonable price?
Davies and Mendes are staying put. Kerkez wants Liverpool. Ait-Nouri will be expensive.
Here's how I see it - 4 options.
● We raise the £16m odd to buy Alvaro back, provided that he so wishes.
● Pay over the odds for Ait-Nouri who is subject to a 50% sell on fee for his previous club Angers, meaning Wolves will not be haggled.
● We take a ridiculous punt on Amass who, imo, isn't at all ready or equipped enough for the role.
● We get a free agent in, someone like (I can't believe I'm saying it ????????) Brandon Williams.
We are where we are, stuck in mud.
18 Jan 2025 20:02:46
Chilwell loan?
18 Jan 2025 20:09:19
Not a bad shout spenno.
18 Jan 2025 20:55:38
Chilwell spends as much time as shaw on the treatment table, not sure that makes much sense.
18 Jan 2025 21:29:48
Chilwell will be able to keep Shaw company in the treatment room.
19 Jan 2025 09:22:53
Ork, I don't think the the Mendes story is that unbelievable.
PSG are looking to add more French players to their ranks and Theo Hernandez is supposed of big interest. That shouldn't leave room for Mendes. He's also already played under Amorim at sporting and the pair are said to have a good relationship.
Either that or Alvaro comes back! Please god no to Brandon Williams.
19 Jan 2025 10:27:58
There was rumours of Amass being a player the club thought could breakthrough this year, but after the preseason tour they felt he was 4-5 months away from being ready physically. They apparently created a specialised training regime for him to "bulk up" and build up his strength so that he is physically capable of competing in senior football.
Now obviously that was put in place under EtH, and with the new manager comes a completely new system. He'd be looking to play as a wingback now and not a fullback. Apparently part of the clubs thinking in selling Alvaro Fernandez was that they felt he was more suited to being a wingback than a fullback. While Amass was considered the better prospect as a fullback and they didn't want to block his pathway.
If they still think Amass is the better fullback and Fernandez the better wingback then hindsight is a bit of a kick in the balls this time round.
Yet if the original plan is coming along then Amass should be physically ready to start competing around now or over the next month or so.
Maybe the club wants to look at him and give him some opportunities.
It's also been a little quite on Shaw, I don't know when he is expected back (not that it really matters as he's always a day away from his next injury) .
We have also agreed a deal for Diego Leon to join in the summer, he is highly rated and is a bit of a physical freak for his age. Already having a broadband frame and being quite muscular and strong despite still being 17. He has also been playing senior football for the past 6-7 months and competing physically.
Supposedly the thinking is that he'll be ready pretty soon to start playing in the senior team. With them possibly giving him a little time in the academy just to help him settle and acclimatise to English football. He is one whose name is pencilled in for the pre-season tour.
So given how poor Malacia has been (understandably given how long he's been out injured) and that he was always more of a fullback than a wingback if the club can find a move for him then getting him off the books sooner rather than later makes sense.
The reality is that he is behind Shaw, Dalot and Mazraoui at LWB.
Given that we have signed Diego Leon and we have Amass I cannot see us signing another two LWB's. So re-signing Alvaro Fernandez only makes sense if we see him as the best option available to be our first choice LWB for the next 5-8 years. If not then despite the financial benefits of signing him, he is best left playing in Portugal and eventually getting a big money move to another club and us receiving the sizable sell on fee we would be due.
Nuno Mendes on paper looks like the best possible fit, whether our name has been linked is genuine or more to advance a new deal with PSG or to flush out other interested buyers who knows. But given his contract situation of he hasn't signed a new deal by the summer he could be a great option available for a reasonable fee.
If not then it looks quite likely that Wolves will be relegated, even if that doesn't happen they are in a bit of a financial pickle and have a history of selling players at reasonable fees (Jota, Neto, Kilman etc) . Meaning we could move for Rayan Aït-Nouri who would also be a fantastic choice at LWB, he's young with a lot of potential but has a good amount of experience (including in the EPL), is much stronger attacking than defending, which is what you need from a wingback, he has played wingback and excelled in that position in this league. He has also shown he can play as a LB meaning that in the future if we changed to a back four system he could still fit with those tactics.
For me it should be one of Nuno Mendes or Aït-Nouri, both are players who will be available in the summer rather than now. So while it will be tough to watch at times, it might be better to wait until then to sign the right player for the next 5 years than the wrong one just to cover the next 6 months.
19 Jan 2025 10:48:51
James
You bought the BS mate.
The principle behind PSGs desire to fill their ranks with French-born players stems more from their academy structure, but of course that doesn't serve to bait the clicks so well, so the hacks of the media world have impressed their own narrative. Is there a statement from PSG anywhere? No, so there's nothing.
Theo Hernandez fits snugly into that narrative, but his name is only being juggled because Mendes' team have made it so. Is there a statement or quote from PSG or Theo himself? No, so there's nothing.
Has Mendes, Amorim, United or PSG said anything concrete about the suggested interest? No, so there's nothing.
I'm just not buying the BS mate.
19 Jan 2025 13:38:05
Re: Chilwell I think we need to stop obsessing over past injury troubles in a loan scenario. If he comes in and is never fit then goodbye 5 months later. If he comes in and smashes it and improves our options then all good surely?
20 Jan 2025 08:14:49
Ork, clubs don't typically comment publicly on their transfer intentions because it weakens their position of negotiation.
You will typically only hear names in the public domain after possibilities have been explored between club officials, agents or third parties, or as you correctly pointed out, agents spreading fluff to generate attention on their clients.
I do see PSG wanting to adopt an alternative approach as their Btech Galacticos project hasn't worked outside of France and with French footballs financial situation being perilous, it makes sense to pivot from their approach.
There may be a degree of desire based bias behind me believing there is something to the Mendes interest.
Amass isn't ready, Malacia isn't at that stage where he can compete, he may not get back (or ever was at IMO) the required level, Shaw is perpetually injured but should be back in the next few weeks (but at what level) . Dalot isn't a LB and the claim he can play there should be tossed out the window with the past season being used as evidence to that case. I'd rather Mazroui play LB but he has been exceptional at RB so
While we have signed Diego Leon, there needs to be more in that position. We can't rely on a 17Yo who has less than a year of senior exp despite how physically ready he may seem.
The club has likely explored options for first team players in the LWB position. Fingers crossed we see a signing either in January or the Summer.