Back in January, Emmanuel Agbadou made a statement in his first Wolves training session.
The Ivorian arrived at Wolves following a £16 million move from Reims in the winter window at a time when the team were desperate for defensive reinforcement.
Agbadou was brilliant from the start, breaking into the first XI with ease and helping Vitor Pereira on his quest for Premier League survival.
And one thing he did during his first training session at the club set the tone for Agbadou’s Wolves career.
Emmanuel Agbadou’s statement to his new Wolves teammates
Marshall Munetsi was the other big addition last January, and his deadline day move saw him discuss Agbadou with director of high performance, Phil Hayward.
The Zimbabwe international played with Agbadou in France and recalled his first training session with his old teammate.
He said: “Everybody used to laugh because the first training session he came, you know, he’s a big, strong defender. The first thing he does is [bang] tackle somebody.”
It turns out that Agbadou made a habit out of making his presence known to teammates, as Hayward reveals: “He did the same at Wolves!”
That kind of aggression and competitiveness is what endeared Agbadou to the fans last season.
Munetsi did make one request upon hearing that, saying: “Every training session, could you please put me in the same team with Agba?”
This season, we haven’t seen that same beast on the field, with Agbadou more likely to make a mistake than a statement in the early stages of the season.
Wolves need Agbadou back to his best
Unfortunately for the Wolves centre-back, Pereira’s decision to drop him from the lineup has coincided with improvements in the defence.
Ladislav Krejci and Santiago Bueno have looked solid, and it gives Agbadou a challenge to get back in favour.
His physical traits are unmatched in the squad, and Munetsi’s additional comments from deadline day illustrate that. He continues: “He’s a strong guy. One thing about him is that he will give you 100%. He’s always very motivated. That’s why we had a lot of success with him also in the team.
“It was much easier even when you have Mbappe, Neymar, Messi, you would always know that with his speed and also his strength can manage them.”
Exactly what has caused the dip in form for Agbadou is difficult to know, but this isn’t anywhere near his best. Hopefully, the international break gives him time to reassess and recalibrate. The Agbadou from last season would be a major boost to the side.
Hopefully, we see this version again soon.