A striker who Wolves came close to signing last summer has just refused to play for his current club today.
Wolves just sunk to a 3-0 defeat against Newcastle United in the Premier League and the problems in the injury department continued to pile up for Gary O’Neil.
Jose Sa suffered a sore quad and Pedro Neto felt a tight hamstring and were both taken off at half-time, although O’Neil confirmed after the game that he substituted them as a precaution.
In much worse news, the 40-year-old revealed that Hwang Hee-Chan – who suffered an injury in the FA Cup win over Brighton – will be out of action for six weeks.
Given the Wanderers also have Matheus Cunha sidelined, O’Neil is left with just 19-year-old Nathan Fraser as his only natural striker and opted to play Neto up front against Newcastle.
It will have left them regretting not being able to sign a striker in January, however, one they were heavily linked with last summer, Boulaye Dia, has just refused to play for Salernitana.
Wolves-linked Boulaye Dia refuses to play for Salernitana
Wolves tried to sign Dia last summer on a loan deal with an option to buy for £19 million.
The Serie A side were left furious with the offer that was presented on the table and it appeared to be one that turned the Senegalese striker’s head, admitting that he had a difficult time once knowing of the Premier League sides’ interest.
With the proposal described as ‘horrible’ and Dia publically making his displeasure known, the 27-year-old was fined following his reaction to not getting his move to Molineux.
It’s been a rocky road since for the powerful forward and now there appears to be no way back after he refused to come off the bench for the last seven minutes of Salernitana’s 1-1 draw against Udinese today, as reported by Fabrizio Romano.
Wolves should avoid Boulaye Dia
Wolves striker position is in dire straits but once the summer transfer window rolls around, Dia is someone the club should avoid, despite the player previously wanting to join.
Although the fact he’s refused to play has pushed him further into the shop window, the attitude he’s shown throughout the whole transfer saga isn’t worth taking a risk on, regardless of his talent.
He’s thrown his toys out of the pram to try and facilitate a move instead of focusing on his football and waiting patiently for a move away.
Dia’s talent can even be put under question after scoring just four times in 17 matches this season and those numbers simply aren’t good enough.
O’Neil should indeed focus his attention on other targets and leave this transfer saga.