Emmanuel Agbadou is officially a Wolf after signing a four-and-a-half-year deal at Wolves from Stade Reims.
Agbadou is Vitor Pereira’s first Wolves signing, arriving from Ligue 1 to bolster the Old Gold’s defence.
The 27-year-old put pen to paper in a deal worth €20m in total, trading the French top tier for the Premier League.
Wolves wanted defensive signings long before the January window opened, with Agbadou arriving at the perfect time.
Matt Hobbs breaks silence on Emmanuel Agbadou Wolves transfer
A new centre-back has been a long time coming for Wolves, who failed to replenish the heart of defence sufficiently during the summer.
Sporting director Matt Hobbs was criticised for Wolves’ summer transfer window however, he certainly believes the club struck gold with their new arrival.
Speaking after the Old Gold unveiled the Ivorian, Hobbs explained exactly why the club were drawn to Agbadou, via Wolves’ official website.
“Emmanuel’s a winner and he’s driven. After the journey’s had, he’s still unbelievably hungry. He’s the type of player the Wolves fans should love, because you’re going to get absolutely everything he’s got.
“On paper, he should suit the Premier League. There’s plenty of ticks there. Obviously, you’ve always got the settling in period, and it is the hardest league in the world, so it can take time, but he can fall back on his key attributes being akin to the Premier League.”
Hobbs then went on to reveal Pereira’s input when it came to signing Agbadou, lifting the lid on the early conversations between the manager and the club on the transfer front.
“The fact that he was on ours and Vitor’s lists shows that he’s well rounded, good on the ball, physically excellent, quick and a good personality. Then being made captain of Reims has really taken his game to the next level, and you can never have enough leaders.
“When Vitor came in it’s the first conversation we had, to add one quick. There are so many games in January, so you can’t afford to waste a month. We have to use this month to be as efficient as possible, and we’re really excited about this signing.”
What contract has Agbadou signed at Wolves?
The Ivory Coast international is already rated highly by those at Molineux, telling of the success he could bring to Pereira’s project.
Agbadou arrives at Wolves from Reims signing on a four-and-a-half year contract, with the cost of the player being around €20m, splitting into a £15 + £1.6m deal.
Wolves have the option to extend the defender’s deal by an additional year towards the expiration of his deal, which will run until 2029.
For now, Agbadou will get settled into his new surroundings as he prepares to embark on a Premier League adventure in the West Midlands.