Wolves signed Bastien Meupiyou on Thursday, and on deadline day the club are now making a move for another exciting young defender.
Meupiyou became Wolves‘ fourth new signing of the summer after the club agreed a £4.2 million deal with Nantes.
It is hoped that Meupiyou will eventually be able to make his way into the first-team squad once he has been able to settle at the club and got minutes with the U21s.
But Wolves are not stopping at Meupiyou on the ‘signing promising young centre-backs’ front, with Fabrizio Romano reporting this morning that another deal is imminent at Molineux.
Wolves agree deal to sign Chelsea youth defender Saheed Olagunju
Romano has reported today on X that Wolves are set to complete the signing of another defensive gem.
Wolves have struck a deal with Chelsea to land their 17-year-old talent Shaeed Olagunju.
Romano writes on X: “Excl: Wolves agree deal to sign 2007 born talent Saheed Olagunju from Chelsea for the Academy. Deal done and set to be signed today.”
Olagunju signed for Chelsea from Charlton Athletic as an U12. He received his first full-time scholarship in the summer of 2023.
He is described by Chelsea via their official website as ‘a tall and confident player’ and someone who ‘defends the box effectively and is technically proficient in playing out from the back while also showcasing excellent leadership skills’.
Last term he made 13 appearances for Chelsea’s U18s, scoring one goal. He also scored in the U17 Premier League Cup, which Chelsea went on to win.
Olagunju has previously spoken of his love of defending, admitting ‘A goal-saving tackle is equivalent to scoring from 40 yards out’. He also counts the ‘unbelievable’ Sergio Ramos and Antonio Rudiger as his favourite centre-backs (via chelseafc.com).
Wolves are also expected to sign Ethan Sutherland from St Mirren to further boost their academy.
Wolves committed to signing young talents
So Wolves are set to strengthen their academy today with the signing of Olagunju, with Sutherland also set to join.
This just shows that Wolves are really committed to their academy and are always looking to get young players in who can potentially make it to the first-team.
It is very much the mantra at Wolves these days to try and sign young players with high ceilings, develop them and then sell them on for big money in the future.
Olagunju sounds like a promising talent, who really loves the art of defending which is great to hear.
If he’s spent a lot of time watching the likes of Ramos and Rudiger then hopefully he will look to play in a very similar way to those guys.