Journalist duo Liam Keen and Nathan Judah have discussed the situation that Sasa Kalajdzic faces at Wolves, assessing the club’s decision to sign the striker back in 2022 during the E&S podcast.
Wolves striker Sasa Kalajdzic has significantly suffered during his career, with news of the 26-year-old’s injury woes coming to light last week.
In January, the Austrian was sent on loan to Eintracht Frankfurt to secure regular minutes as Gary O’Neil’s stance on the forward became clear.
The manager opted against fielding the £15m signing in the starting XI, with him best utilised as a substitute behind the likes of Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha in the pecking order.
Speaking on episode 328 of the E&S Podcast, journalists Liam Keen and Nathan Judah discussed the striker’s luck during his time at Molineux.
What Liam Keen and Nathan Judah said about Sasa Kalajdzic
At just 26, Kalajdzic has lost over 1000 days of his career to injury, telling of the torturous time he’s had with absences throughout his journey.
After tearing his ACL for the third time in his playing career and for the second time while on the books at Wolves, the forward looks set for another lengthy amount of time on the sidelines in an agonising blow.
Speaking on the podcast, Judah and Keen were greatly sympathetic for the Wolves man but shared their thoughts on the decision to sign the 26-year-old given his injury record prior to his move to Molineux.
Keen said, “I don’t want to write him off with time to go, it’s been so far a mistake signing. They’ve spent £15m on a player who I think is a good footballer by all accounts but has a very very poor injury record.”
Judah echoed the beliefs of his co-host on the podcast, also dubbing the £15m transfer a “mistake”.
“To give someone that length of contract with that injury history – and I guess they had to do that to get him – but the worst fears were confirmed and it does look like a mistake because a five-year deal.”
“Sasa Kalajdzic isn’t getting a transfer this summer, he might have done if had stayed fit and scored goals, but he’s not going anywhere and potentially, might not be going anywhere until his contract ends.”
Sasa Kalajdzic has had a horrible time at Wolves
It’s been a horrifying experience for the 26-year-old to suffer another injury as severe and mentally exhausting as an ACL rupture, with his future at Wolves now significantly in doubt.
Signed by Bruno Lage, the 6 foot 7 striker has made just 12 appearances in the Premier League since his arrival, a scenario that has unfolded a nightmare for both player and club.
As touched upon by Judah, Wolves could face a difficult situation with the striker, who is contracted until 2027 yet unlikely to play in the near future or to make it under O’Neil based on how the manager likes to play.
The entire narrative of the Austrian’s association with Wolves exerts feelings of sympathy, although the discussion of the decision to sign the forward on such a lengthy deal given his injury record outlines that an error was made by Lage.