Wolves could be tempted to revisit a former target in the summer transfer window, as Gary O’Neil seeks reinforcements to bolster his limited squad.
It’s been a remarkable season for Wolves, who have shown their strength under Gary O’Neil against the odds following the lows of last summer.
The 2023 summer transfer window handed the Old Gold a list of problems to overcome, with financial pressures leaving Julen Lopetegui suffocated, seeing the Spaniard leave his post just days before the start of the 2023/24 campaign.
O’Neil was the man chosen to replace the former Real Madrid boss, who had concerns over his squad’s strength after losing key players to generate profit, with no funds for replacements to arrive at Molineux.
Now that the Englishman has almost passed his first season at Wolves with flying colours, he will hope Fosun can support him with finances this summer, with new faces necessary if the squad is to continue its progression.
While a number of potential targets have been already speculated about, the Old Gold could be tempted to revisit a transfer target from 2020, with an update on Armel Bella-Kotchap’s future now explained.
Wolves should look at former transfer target Armel Bella-Kotchap this summer
Rewind to 2020 and The Sun reported that Wolves were one of many clubs interested in 18-year-old Bella-Kotchap, who was playing in Germany’s second tier at the time.
In July 2022, Southampton secured the signature of the budding centre-back, seeing him shine in the Premier League in a wilted Saints side that suffered relegation to the Championship that year.
As a result of the South Coast side’s demotion, Bella-Kotchap endeavoured on a loan spell with PSV Eindhoven, which has not gone as planned for the Germany international.
Back in October, the 22-year-old suffered a shoulder injury and has played one minute in the Eredivisie since, after undergoing surgery.
Today, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that Bella-Kotchap is ‘likely’ to leave Southampton in the summer on his return from loan, with the expected price tag said to be in the margin of just €20m (£17m).
Romano claimed that ‘several clubs’ are interested in the young defender, and while Wolves haven’t been named as an interested party, the Old Gold should consider approaching their former target.
Armel Bella-Kotchap would be a strong signing for Wolves
Having secured 24 Premier League appearances for Southampton last season, the centre-back could be a strong acquisition for O’Neil to consider, with his price tag low for the talent he’s shown in England.
Last term, the 2001-born star was lauded as ‘colossal’ for his performance against Arsenal by U23 scout Antonio Mango, telling of his quality and what he could offer to Wolves’ back line.
Signing a centre-back could be an important move for Wolves to make in the summer, with 33-year-old Craig Dawson due to enter the final year of his contract and Max Kilman’s future speculated over.
As highlighted in the table above, Bella-Kotchap showcases a level of defensive stability both on par with, and above the averages of Wolves duo Dawson and Kilman, based on his 2022/23 campaign in the Premier League and the pair’s 2023/24 season.
For just £17m, O’Neil could grasp a Premier League-proven defender who at just 22 years old, could thrive in the manager’s system if interest was to re-emerge.