Julen Lopetegui is close to making one of his Wolves transfer wishes come true this summer.
Wolves made moves early into the transfer window to better prepare for the 2024/25 campaign.
Gary O’Neil has had the time to get to know the three new players throughout pre-season, with the early business proving to be pivotal.
Of course, Wolves could yet bring in more players before deadline day, however, one former target is out of the picture.
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Wolves target Guido Rodriguez now close to joining Julen Lopetegui at West Ham
During the summer of 2023, Wolves were linked to Guido Rodriguez, who was named as a target for Julen Lopetegui.
The former Wolves boss wanted to sign the Real Betis midfielder at Molineux however, the World Cup winner opted to remain in LaLiga.
Rodriguez is now a free agent but was valued at £17m at the time of Wolves’ interest although, the club’s admiration of the player seemed to leave with Lopetegui.
Now, the Spaniard’s transfer wish looks close to coming true, as Fabrizio Romano confirmed that West Ham are ‘expected’ to announce the capture of the Argentine soon.
Lopetegui wanted the ‘exceptional’ Rodriguez at Wolves and now he is set to sign him at West Ham, with a Premier League move on the cards for the midfielder a year after links to Molineux.
Rodriguez is more of a Lopetegui signing than a Gary O’Neil target
Lopetegui’s brief time at Wolves evidently inspired the manager, who has carried his transfer list from Molineux to the London Stadium.
Already, the Spaniard has signed Max Kilman from Wolves, with former target Rodriguez ready to join his squad in East London.
Fortunately, the profile of Rodriguez stands for more of a Lopetegui player than one wanted by O’Neil, who has made his favoured midfield combination clear.
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Last term, the pivot of Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina was unmovable, with Tommy Doyle, Boubacar Traore and Tawanda Chirewa on standby to offer something different.
As a result, former target Rodriguez looks to be far from a player wanted or needed by O’Neil, as he prepares to commit his future to West Ham.
It will be interesting to see how Lopetegui utilises the ex-Wolves target in the Premier League, with a thought to be had on how he could’ve fared at Molineux.