Wolves are believed to be exploring the free agent market but face one major issue for any potential signing.
Wolves, unsurprisingly, now find themselves in a bit of a pickle. Despite the Old Gold being low on centre-halves last season, which undoubtedly caused issues, the club were unable to bring in another senior defender in the summer.
This is despite the fact that Max Kilman departed Wolves for £40 million, joining Julen Lopotegui’s West Ham.
While Yerson Mosquera has now become a first-teamer since his loan spell at Villarreal, the Old Gold is clearly short in his position.
On top of the Colombian, only Toti Gomes, Santiago Bueno and Craig Dawson are natural at centre-half, with the latter struggling with injuries throughout 2024.
Bastien Meupiyou was also signed by Wolves in the summer, but the young defender is only 18 years old and is unlikely to be ready for first-team football.
Therefore, many of the Molineux faithful called for a new centre-back in the summer, especially after a poor start in the Premier League, but this did not come to be.
Now, going into the Brighton game, of the five centre-halves mentioned above, only Santiago Bueno is fully fit.
As a result, Wolves may dip into the free agent market, however, there is one big issue that the club will have to overcome.
Wolves need to depart with a star to register any incoming free agent in the Premier League
Signing a free agent mid-season isn’t anything new for Wolves. Only two years ago when faced with a similar situation, Diego Costa joined the Old Gold to reinforce their attacking options.
This week, it has been reported that Wolves are looking to sign former Liverpool defender Joel Matip. The defender has been a free agent since the summer after he was released from the Reds.
However, an issue Wolves will have to overcome is his potential registration in the top flight.
Premier League clubs are allowed to sign free agents throughout the season, however, they can only be registered if there is a slot in their 25-man squad.
Unfortunately for Wolves, their squad is full, meaning that they will have to depart with a player over 21 to register any potential free-agent signing.
There are still transfer windows open across the world which could help in moving a potential player on.
However, in Europe, only the Israeli window is still active, with it set to close on September 18.
Centre-back shortage is an issue of Wolves’ making
After the injury crisis in the backend of the 2023/24 campaign, many would have thought Wolves would have learnt their lesson regarding depth issues.
While it is true that the squad now has far more quality across the board, they failed to improve arguably the weakest position in the squad.
The departure of Kilman seemed inevitable in the summer, and it is unforgivable that a replacement was not lined up.
On top of this, Wolves needed a new defender anyway. The club has not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League since their 1-0 victory over bottom-placed Sheffield United in February, and the Blades had plenty of opportunities to find the net in that fixture.
In recent years, Wolves have made far too many mistakes on the transfer front, and now it could finally reap serious repercussions.