The January transfer window was all about how Wolves could bolster their front line.
They were linked with what felt like every forward on the continent before eventually settling on Willian Jose.
What’s the word?
Jose hasn’t scored since coming to Wolves and it feels unlikely they’ll utilise their option to buy the Real Sociedad forward.
As a result, we could be in for a summer of more links to attacking players. If you believe the word coming from Portugal, those links have already begun.
According to TVI21 journalist Rui Pedro Braz (via Sport Witness), the Old Gold are once again interested in signing Carlos Vinicius this summer.
Wolves are attentive to his situation, with the player’s future currently uncertain. The striker is on loan at Tottenham from Benfica but it looks as though they won’t trigger their buying option in a few months’ time.
As a result, the Portuguese outfit are now willing to negotiate with other clubs. It is claimed that Benfica will accept something between €25m and €30m (£21m-£26m) for his services.
Wolves had reportedly made bids in the past which totalled an incredible sum of €105m (£91.4m). They first put in an offer in January 2020 worth €60m (£52m) before tabling €45m (£39m) last summer.
Forget Jose
For Wolves, anyone feels better than the tall Brazilian forward right now. A similar frame to Raul Jimenez, he had the potential to grab the bull by the horns and really improve Nuno Espirito Santo’s attack.
Unfortunately, hehas been anything but impressive. Jose has rarely found himself in scoring positions and, a few months on from signing, he’s still yet to find the back of the net. It has been a torrid back end of the campaign for the 29-year-old, so Vinicius would be a welcome addition.
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At the age of 26, the Benfica forward is approaching the peak of his career, and despite achieving very little football on loan at Spurs, he has been in the goals. Vinicius has made just nine Premier League appearances but was on fire when he played in the Europa League, bagging six times in a further nine outings. In all competitions this term, he has found the net ten times.
Last season, he beat the goalkeeper on 24 occasions in Portugal, a tally which was considerably better than Fabio Silva’s haul of three goals at the same level.
The Wolves target possesses plenty of traits which could benefit Nuno’s side. He can get in behind, is a powerful ball striker and he can hold the ball up.
Speaking in the midst of Vinicius’ move to Spurs, Jose Gomes, his former manager at Rio Ave, said: “He’s a powerful player, and very intelligent. He is someone who always gets himself into goalscoring positions.”
Gomes continued: “He has a great sense for where opportunities are going to appear. He shoots with enormous power with his left foot. He protects the ball really well – even when defenders are pressuring him, he is able to shield the ball and turn his man to get a shot in.”
How Wolves could do with someone who can protect the ball a bit better. They will have Jimenez back next season but it’s uncertain how quickly he’ll hit the ground running after sustaining a fractured skull back in November.
At a bargain price compared to some of the previous bids they’ve submitted, Vinicius feels like a no-brainer for Jeff Shi.
AND in other news, Shi could have transformed Wolves by signing £30m “monster” with “phenomenal energy” …