For a lot of people, Wolverhampton Wanderers maestro Joao Moutinho is one of the best players to ever pull on the old gold jersey.
The star has been at Molineux since the summer of 2018, joining in a £5 million move from FC Porto (BBC Sport).
To this day, fans still scratch their heads over that transfer fee, with Moutinho having been sublime in the club’s two seventh-placed finishes in the Premier League so far.
Just recently though, some have started to noticed a decline in Moutinho’s game.
He’s been slightly off the pace this year, which is probably to be expected at the age of 34.
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Undoubtedly, Wolves will need to sign a long-term replacement for Moutinho – not that he will hang up his boots – this summer, and here are a few realistic targets who may be able to do a job.
Christian Eriksen
He’s actually started to see a bit more game time at Inter Milan recently, but the Denmark international’s future is still up in the air.
It was a surprise the £17 million maestro (BBC Sport) remained at the club beyond January and he still has a lot to prove at the Italian club.
One gets the feeling he’ll be offloaded if he doesn’t shine bright between now and the season’s end, and Wolves should be waiting in the wings ready to pounce.
Eriksen obviously has heaps of Premier League experience and is a proven assister and goalscorer in the competition – style-wise, he’d potentially be a fine Moutinho replacement, and he’s been linked (Gianluca Di Marzio, via Daily Mail, January 2021).
Oleksandr Zinchenko
He’s been on Wolves’ radar before, and allegedly turned down a move to Molineux in order to fight for his place at the Etihad Stadium (Mirror, 2018).
The Daily Star claimed in December that Wolves could look to renew their interest this summer.
Zinchenko is a superb player and has gotten decent game time this season in an outstanding side, and kept Benjamin Mendy out at left-back.
Zinchenko, 24, still plays in midfield for his country, and one wonders if he could potentially be worth looking at again.
Working under Pep Guardiola for the past few years has seen his game come on leaps and bounds, and the technical star would potentially be a really nice addition for Wolves.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain feels like a player who really needs a move, and Wolves should look to become the club that gives him a new lease of life.
The attack-minded midfielder doesn’t get much of a look in at Liverpool, and the signing of Thiago hasn’t helped his cause.
Chamberlain would not be another technician like Moutinho, although he is skilful, he would be someone capable of taking the ball and carrying it through the lines, which is arguably something Wolves have been lacking.
Potentially he’d complement Ruben Neves well, and is surely worth making some enquiries over. He was also linked (Mirror) with a switch to Molineux last year.