Wolves manager Gary O’Neil was handed a devastating blow when Yerson Mosquera was injured against Aston Villa.
The Colombian was forced to withdraw late in the game at Villa Park after colliding awkwardly with Morgan Rogers.
Wolves watched as Mosquera was stretchered off the pitch in great discomfort before their biggest nightmare was confirmed, an ACL injury.
After impressing early in the season, the centre-back will now be away from the action for the remainder of the campaign in incredibly unfortunate circumstances.
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Gary O’Neil provides Wolves transfer stance after Yerson Mosquera’s injury
Losing Mosquera was a major concern due to Wolves’ shortage in central defence, leaving O’Neil with only three fit central defenders.
The Colombian passed the responsibility to Craig Dawson, Santi Bueno and Toti Gomes in his absence, with there little room for the manager to rotate.
Matters were made worse as Bueno suffered an injury last time out against Liverpool, limiting the options even further.
Despite the mounting concern over Wolves’ defensive depth, O’Neil shared a surprising stance on the club’s plans to replenish the position in the free agent market.
Speaking after Wolves’ defeat to Liverpool, the manager admitted that it’s unlikely that the Old Gold will recruit a free agent centre-back before the January transfer window opens.
“Probably not,” O’Neil said via Express and Star, before explaining the difficulty of capturing the right figure to add to the squad.
“Trying to find an out-of-work homegrown centre-back that’s capable of starting in the Premier League will be tricky, I would think.”
Wolves were said to have interest in former Premier League duo James Tomkins and Paul Dummett, as per HITC, players who both meet the homegrown criteria that the Midlands club must adhere to.
Instead, O’Neil is prepared to battle on until the January window, despite his incredibly limited options in defence.
Wolves’ summer transfer priority already proven wrong
Given how short Wolves current are at the back, it’s difficult to believe that the summer transfer window only closed recently.
O’Neil, Fosun and Matt Hobbs had the chance to bolster the back line throughout the summer months, a chance that was alarmingly not taken.
The theme of Wolves lacking defensive depth is not new, as last season was similar, with matters only made worse in July when West Ham signed Max Kilman.
From July until the end of August, the Old Gold neglected the chance to fill the void left by Kilman, with the repercussions of such now hitting the squad just six games in.
O’Neil evidently has plans to replenish in the January window, with the possibility of signing a free agent now ruled out.