When Jackson Tchatchoua was finally announced on Tuesday, there was a collective sigh of relief heard around Wolverhampton, but he wasn’t Wolves’ number one choice.
The right-back position needed to be addressed. Nelson Semedo left a hole in Vitor Pereira’s side when he decided to leave the club last month.
The current options, Rodrigo Gomes, Ki-Jana Hoever and Pedro Lima, all have some way to go in developing into starter-quality wing-backs. So the arrival of 23-year-old Jackson Tchatchoua was a welcome one.
But Wolves had another top target before the fastest player in Serie A.
Wolves wanted Anan Khalaili before Jackson Tchatchoua
20-year-old Anan Khalaili plays for Union SG in Belgium. He’s a versatile player, capable of playing at either end of the right flank and in midfield.
According to Rudy Galetti, Wolves considered him their top target in the hunt for a Semedo replacement.
Khalaili made 24 league appearances for Union SG as they won the Pro League A title last season.
But the club’s demands were too high for Wolves to meet, leading them to turn their attention to the Hellas Verona star.
Jackson Tchatchoua might be a better option than Anan Khalaili
While their top target was an exciting 20-year-old with heaps of potential, his signing may have just added one more player for the future to that right-back position.
Tchatchoua, on the other hand, has already played two full seasons in a top-five European league, and at 23, his experience is more in line with what Vitor Pereira needs.
If Union SG’s demands were considered too high, it’s likely they wanted a lot more than the £10 million or so accepted by Hellas Verona.
Tchatchoua is an exciting player, and one that didn’t break the bank. Hopefully, his second-choice status will be quickly forgotten about when he hits the ground running at Molineux.