Wolves have confirmed the late addition of another centre-back on transfer deadline day, signing Nasser Djiga from Red Star Belgrade.
Having seen the Old Gold concede an average of 2.2 goals per Premier League game so far in 2024/25, one of the club’s priorities during the winter transfer window was to strengthen their backline.
New manager Vitor Pereira worked quickly early in the window to secure the services of Emmanuel Agbadou from Reims for a reported £16.6m fee, and he’s been keen to add another centre-back before the market closes at 11pm on Monday 3rd February.
After seeing a deal for Kevin Danso fall through at the last minute – the defender instead joined Tottenham Hotspur – Wolves finally settled on the signing of centre-back Djiga on deadline day.
The centre-back has joined the club for a reported fee of around €12m, and comes with a wealth of experience having played eight games in the UEFA Champions League this season.
Wolves sign centre-back Nasser Djiga on transfer deadline day
The club confirmed that they had signed Djiga in a release on their official website, with the player putting pen to paper on a deal running until 2030.
Speaking about the signing, Wolves’ Sporting Director Matt Hobbs said: “Central defence is an area we’ve been looking to strengthen this window and Nasser is a player we believe can strengthen the squad, both in the short and longer term.
“Since Vitor came in that back three has been consistent, but Nasser’s the quick, aggressive centre back we’ve been looking for to help the group and we’re looking forward to seeing him fight for his place.”
How Djiga performed at Red Star Belgrade prior to Wolves transfer
The 22-year-old initially joined Red Star on loan from parent club FC Basel in 2023, with the Serbian giants retaining an option the loan permanent at the end of the 2023/24 season. And having thoroughly impressed in his maiden campaign – helping Red Star to a league and cup double – the club jumped at the opportunity to sign Djiga permanently.
Since then, the Burkina Faso international has gone from strength to strength, providing defensive solidity and also a bit of threat in the final third too. That offensive threat was very apparent during one of his eight UEFA Champions League appearances this season, with the centre-back scoring one and assisting another in a 3-2 defeat to PSV Eindhoven in gameweek seven.
Red Star have clear hopes that Djiga will continue to improve now that he’s joined Wolves, reportedly making sure to agree a 10% sell-on clause in order to reap the benefits of any future transfer too.