Wolves have been linked with a move for Bordeaux striker Hwang Ui-jo.
Apparently Wanderers have already been in contact with the French outfit, and have been unsuccessful with a £2.5 million bid.
Talks are continuing, and it’s possible Wolves could make a fresh bid for the South Korea international.
With Bordeaux under financial pressure, Hwang is said to be a player that’s likely to leave.
He’s got a year left on his contract, and Bordeaux want to sell now to try and alleviate some of that financial pressure.
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On the face of it, this is perhaps not a particularly exciting transfer link.
The new season is starting this weekend, and Wolves don’t have any centre-forwards available.
Many fans are hoping for the club to swoop for someone with a bit of pedigree and goalscoring prowess.
Hopefully that will be the case before summer window closes, but a move for Hwang should not be dismissed.
The star has scored goals with fair regularity at the three clubs he’s been at in his professional career so far.
With Seongnam FC he scored 43 in 162 games. At Gamba Osaka he hit 30 in 70. And for current club Bordeaux he’s scored 29 in 97.
Those 29 goals for Bordeaux have all come in Ligue 1, in which he has made 91 appearances. A strike rate of 1 in 3 in a top five league in Europe is never something to discredit. While he’s not absolutely prolific, he clearly has a decent eye for goal.
Last year, Ligue1.com ran a feature on Hwang, stating that he was one to watch. They said of him: “Hwang is svelte, 1.85m tall, quick, has exceptional close control and is utterly direct – the perfect combination to receive a diagonal pass before moving play on.
“Yet those same tools make him a deadly striker, and he also has a keen eye for goal, often shooting early to catch the opposition goalkeeper off-guard, regardless of his starting position.”
That feature brings quotes from commentator Han Joon-hee, who said of Hwang after he fired South Korea to Asian Games victory: “Although Son Heung-min is still the star Korean football player around the world, Hwang Ui-jo is the player that has given the most joy to Korean football fans and the nation this year.
“Hwang Ui-jo is key to the success of the Korean national football team, led by head coach Paulo Bento.”
Wolves may find bargain in Bordeaux striker Hwang Ui-jo
Hwang is not particularly well known, and so that lack of profile won’t strike a chord with a lot of concerned fans at this moment in time.
But Hwang seems like a player who could be a decent, inexpensive pick-up by Wanderers.
He’s scored goals semi-regularly playing for a struggling team in France, and he might just be a good squad option for Wolves.
Of course, he knows Hwang Hee-chan well and so it’s possible he may fancy linking up with his international teammate.
If Wolves could bring him in and one more proven striker, the picture would be looking much better.