Emmanuel Agbadou has been a revelation since joining Wolves from Stade Reims in January.
Not only did Wolves pay less than £20 million for Agbadou, but his signing has transformed the team.
Resolute in defence and calm in possession, the Ivory Coast international is shaping up to be one of the most impactful Wolves signings in recent history.
Emmanuel Agbadou doesn’t have anywhere near the same level of experience as other defenders
Despite emerging as one of the Premier League’s most reliable centre-backs, Agbadou has very little experience of playing professionally.
Even though he is just weeks away from turning 28 years old, Agbadou has played less than 160 senior matches.
Agbadou played his first professional match for Belgian side KAS Eupen against Genk in October 2020. He went on to feature in another 63 matches before moving to Stade Reims where he played 80 times.
The defender’s most recent appearance during Wolves’ 4-2 win against Spurs was the 156th time he’d appeared professionally.
Less appearances than William Saliba
Remarkably, although he is nearly four years older than Arsenal’s William Saliba, Agbadou has played 80 professional games fewer.
Saliba’s 236 senior appearances at the age of 24 are great numbers but aren’t exclusive to the Frenchman. A lot of Europe’s best players have made over 200 appearances before the age of 25.
Agbadou, on the other hand, is a rare case. The soon-to-be 28-year-old was a late bloomer, but his lack of playing time, especially during his younger days, doesn’t seem to have affected him.
If anything, Agbadou is using the opportunity Wolves and Vitor Pereira have handed him and is making up for lost time.