Wolves have announced the signing of Bastien Meupiyou from FC Nantes as Deadline Day approaches.
The 18-year-old represents Wolves’ fifth arrival of the summer and the first in a long time, as the Old Gold’s presence in the transfer market drifted off the radar.
Early into the summer, Gary O’Neil welcomed Tommy Doyle to the club on a permanent basis and also recruited Pedro Lima, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Rodrigo Gomes.
Now that Deadline Day is less than 24 hours away, it seems the Old Gold are ready to get the finish line in style, with Meupiyou’s arrival signalling the first of what is poised to be a hectic period.
- READ MORE: Wolves transfer state of play heading into Deadline Day as Gary O’Neil plots late additions
Matt Hobbs makes Bastien Meupiyou admission as Wolves announce signing
Wolves signed the highly-rated teenager from the Ligue 1 side for a fee in the region of £4.2m.
While Meupiyou is certainly one for the future, Matt Hobbs hinted at strengths to the youngster’s game that could alert O’Neil to fast-track his journey to the first team.
In quotes from the official Wolves website, Hobbs praised the defender’s versatility when welcoming the teen to the club.
“He’s very physical, very strong, very quick. But also, he’s played a lot at six, a lot at left-back as well,” the club’s sporting director explained.
“It’s not often you can find a big, physical profile that comes with the ability to play on the ball and to play in all those positions.”
Hobbs went on to applaud the 19-year-old’s profile, backing him to fit seamlessly into the Premier League once he becomes accustomed to life at Wolves.
“He fits what we think a Premier League player looks like. There’s no pressure on him, he’s a young boy, and we’ll look forward to seeing how he develops over the next couple of years.”
Meupiyou solves one half of Gary O’Neil’s centre-back problem
Signing a highly-rated young talent is never a bad thing however, Wolves still have some work to do when it comes to replenishing their back line.
While Meupiyou adds depth to the position, O’Neil is still desperately in need of a more experienced head to provide competition and cover for his current options at the back.
Wolves have been linked to Nayef Aguerd although, there are some reservations over the possibility of the deal coming to life as the player would rather not make the move.
After losing Max Kilman, it’s essential that O’Neil and Hobbs work on strengthening in central defence, with Meupiyou’s arrival helping to some extent.