Wolves are in the midst of a defensive crisis at the moment, while one Premier League rival boasts two former Molineux transfer targets.
It was confirmed by the club on Tuesday that Yerson Mosquera had suffered damage to his MCL and ACL, and that he will likely be out for the rest of the season.
Wolves currently now have just three senior centre-backs to call on until January.
After five Premier League games, Wolves have conceded the joint-most goals in the division with 14 and the backline has undoubtedly been the weakest aspect of the team, despite Mosquera looking impressive at times.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Nottingham Forest find themselves up in eighth place and are yet to lose.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have performed above expectations so far, and part of the reason for this is that they’ve been strong at the back.
Wolves were linked with Murillo and Milenkovic who are now thriving at Nottingham Forest
After five games so far, Forest have conceded just four goals.
This gives them the joint-third best defensive record in the league, with only two teams conceding fewer goals – Liverpool and Arsenal.
One of the reasons Forest have started well is because the form of their two centre-backs has been very good.
Brazilian Murillo has played every minute so far, and Nikola Milenkovic – who joined the club in the summer from Fiorentina, has played every minute of the last four games.
Murillo was a player Wolves showed heavy interest in in the summer of 2023 just before he made his move to Forest.
Wanderers were keen to snap him up from Corinthians and even reportedly saw a bid worth about £10 million rejected.
As per the Nottingham Post, he is now being ‘recognised by top European clubs’ and is in line for a potential Brazil call-up.
Wolves also might have landed his new centre-back partner Milenkovic. The club were interested in him a few years ago according to Sky Sports, but a move never materialised. In the summer, Forest snapped him up for just £12 million.
That would surely have been affordable for Wolves after the sales of Max Kilman and Pedro Neto.
Frustration for Wolves amid current struggles
It is somewhat frustrating to see two players Wolves could have, and probably should have signed, both now shining at Forest under Nuno.
Murillo was a player with a big reputation in Brazil, and Wolves ultimately couldn’t get him. Perhaps the budget just couldn’t be stretched at the time, when finances were tight.
Milenkovic is a player Wolves have been aware of for years. He always seemed like he could be a great fit for the Premier League due to his size and aggression.
Wolves might have moved for him in the last window. After selling Kilman there was a clear need, but in the end, there was absolutely no mention of him being a target.
He’s now shining in the Forest backline and making a big impact alongside Murillo. Nuno has already branded him ‘quality’, and there has been surprise over Fiorentina selling him for so little.
Between them, they have helped Forest climb up to eighth, and who knows how much one or both of them could have helped Wolves had the club perhaps pushed a little more for them.
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