Wolves now look set to land one of their long-term striker targets on a free transfer this summer ahead of their Premier League rivals.
A striker has been on Gary O’Neil’s wishlist at Wolves for quite some time.
He battled tooth and nail in the January transfer window to get a player through the door and were reportedly very close to landing Armando Broja on loan from Chelsea till he signed for Fulham instead.
A number of players have already been linked since the season drew to a close last month and ahead of the window opening next week, O’Neil could have landed one of his long-term targets.
Gary O’Neil set to land Che Adams on a free transfer
Fabrizio Romano reported yesterday that Nottingham Forest were ahead in the race to sign Che Adams from Southampton.
This was news that would have frustrated Wolves supporters however, the Daily Record have now revealed that O’Neil is ‘set to land’ him on a free transfer.
It is claimed that reports saying Forest were in the driving seat are wide of the margin and the Wanderers – who saw an £18 million bid rejected for Adams last summer – could be about to land their long-term target.
Adams has just helped the Saints win promotion to the Premier League and Russell Martin was open about his willingness to keep him at St Marys, though he is yet to agree on a new contract, which has opened the door for him to leave.
The 27-year-old is currently preparing for Scotland’s Euro 2024 campaign where they play against Germany, Switzerland and Hungary in the Group Stages.
A solid piece of business for Wolves
Although a deal to capture Adams isn’t over the line, with the striker unlikely to complete any move till after Euro 2024, Wolves would be sealing a bargain.
The ‘terrific’ forward – as dubbed by Ally McCoist – scored 17 times in all competitions last term as the Saints won promotion to the Premier League.
Adams could form a mouth-watering forward trio with Pedro Neto and Matheus Cunha or Hwang Hee-Chan, with the Scottish marksman displaying attributes that could be useful to O’Neil’s front line.
He’s extremely clever at moving in behind and he’s also a powerful runner, with former teammate Matt Baker even comparing his attributes to Brazilian icon Ronaldo.
He told the Guardian: “He reminds me a little bit of the old Ronaldo. He had that raw ability. I wouldn’t say he was electric quick but he was powerful and strong.
“He would brush people off and he could go through people. And he always had a finish at the end of it.”
Under the guidance of O’Neil, Adams would be able to refine those attributes and become an even better striker. We’ve seen what he’s done to Cunha, and he could emulate a similar success story with the Southampton star.