Wolves look like they won’t be very busy in the transfer market this month.
Hayao Kawabe signed earlier in the month, but he arguably doesn’t count as a significant addition and it’s expected he will soon join Grasshopper on loan (BBC Sport).
Scott Sellars recently admitted it’s ‘certain’ there won’t be a large amount of new faces arriving at Molineux this month.
It seems that finances could be tight.
There have been claims that if Wolves want to do anything, they’ll need to shift a big name. And it seems Adama Traore may be the sacrificial lamb, with Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea both linked with moves.
Bruno Lage has stated he wants to strengthen at centre-half.
But Wolves still also need to add a new central midfielder.
Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho have done tremendously well this term. But they’ve played a lot of games, and Wolves don’t have much depth.
Yes, Bruno Jordao is back from injury now, but at this stage he is an unknown quantity. There is also young Luke Cundle, but he is obviously very inexperienced right now.
Lots of people hope that Renato Sanches will join, after the club walked away from a deal last summer.
But the Lille man is coveted by other clubs, and may simply prove too expensive.
There are definitely some decent alternatives out there though, and one man Wolves really ought to be looking at his Denis Zakaria.
The Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder’s contract expires at the end of the season, and he is apparently valued right now at just £5 million (via Metro).
That is absolutely peanuts, for a quality player who has a completely different profile to Wolves’ current options.
Zakaria, 24, is physically imposing, standing at 6ft 3in tall. He is strong both on the ground and in the air.
But the Switzerland international is also great on the ball. He can certainly pick a pass, as evidenced by his 90% accuracy in Bundesliga so far (WhoScored).
Wolves should join the hunt for Denis Zakaria
Zakaria is currently linked with a move to Manchester United.
But Wolves should not be deterred by that. Gladbach risk losing him for free and so, they will surely be keen to listen to as many offers as possible for the player this month.
Zakaria has drawn comparisons to Patrick Vieira for the way he plays (bundesliga.com). German legend Lothar Matthaus has also said previously that he reminds him of Real Madrid star Toni Kroos, who is still one of the best passers in the game today.
Lage wants Wolves to have more of the ball and be better on it.
Zakaria is comfortable in possession, and has the physical attributes to boot.
Wolves got a £5 million steal a few years ago with Joao Moutinho. The club could genuinely do the same again here if they really wanted.