Wolves could potentially be making a move for Joel Matip, who is currently without a club after leaving Liverpool at the end of last season.
It has been claimed that the former Cameroon international has been offered to several Premier League clubs including Wanderers.
Wolves, of course, were in the market for a new centre-back in the summer.
In the end, Gary O’Neil did not get his wish and Wolves are now proceeding with Craig Dawson, Toti Gomes, Santi Bueno and Yerson Mosquera, with youngster Bastien Meupiyou to potentially come into the fold later in the season.
There is scope for Wolves signing a new centre-back and Matip could be a convenient option – and he has one trait that could be ideal.
Joel Matip is solid ball-carrier
Early in the summer, Wolves sold Max Kilman to West Ham United for £40 million.
This was widely regarded as good business by Wolves, considering the club signed him for next to nothing six years prior.
But Kilman did have some very nice traits.
While he was never the most aggressive or dominant of centre-backs, he was certainly cultured. His passing was often imperious, and he could also bring the ball out of defence and attack space quite well.
And that was something Matip was also known for during his time at Liverpool.
His former teammate Virgil van Dijk said of him back in February 2022 (via liverpoolfc.com): “It’s a big quality of him – I wish I had that quality at times!
“He just can go without any fear at all and hope for the best a little bit! But he has that quality. It’s a big strength of him and obviously it’s useful because it drags other players from their position and today obviously the space was there to make that run and finish it off.”
Matip could be nice to have following Kilman’s exit
We will see if Wolves decide to try and sign Matip, although he cannot currently be registered right away given the squad is full.
Matip has not had a good injury record in his career, but he might just be worth the risk for Wolves given his experience of playing in the Premier League.
Wolves lost Kilman in the summer and he was someone who could carry the ball forward. While this is not an essential trait for a centre-back, it can sometimes be handy for a player in the backline to do this. As van Dijk says, it drags other players from their position.
Wolves are known these days for having a lot of players who are great at ball-carrying.
So potentially, he could be a decent fit.