Wolverhampton Wanderers are on the search for a new left-footed centre-back to compete with Toti Gomes and there are several targets being shortlisted.
Birmingham World understands head coach Vitor Pereira is determined to bolster the left side of his defence, not only by replacing wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri following his £34 million transfer to Manchester City but also by bringing in a new left-sided centre-half.
The budget for incoming business is believed to be substantial this summer as the Ait-Nouri deal and the record £62.5 million sale of Matheus Cunha to Manchester United have deepened Wolves’ pockets. Of course, losing two pivotal players is far from ideal, but Pereira at least now has the chance to make his own proper mark on the squad.
Wolves could swoop for underrated £15m Ipswich defender
Albeit yet to be linked with a move to Molineux, Birmingham World believes Wolves should attempt to sign an Ipswich Town defender – and it’s not Dara O’Shea. Instead, the Old Gold should target the left-footed Jacob Greaves, who was one of the Tractor Boys’ rare standout players last term despite relegation.
Greaves, signed from Hull City last summer for £15 million, was in the top seven per cent in the Premier League for aerial duels won, while only 16 per cent of English top-flight defenders completed more defensive actions, as per FotMob. The 24-year-old also proved his capability in playing out from the back as he maintained an 80 per cent dribble success rate.
Those statistics would be impressive for an ever-present defender but Greaves managed to rack up those figures in 13 fewer games than others as he only started 25 Premier League matches. A hamstring problem kept the centre-back out for 65 days between October and December – his first injury since the start of 2023.
Umir Irfan, a regular pundit on The Overlap, said last year that he believes Greaves has the potential to be the next Ruben Dias, while Anel Ahmedhodzic, who was linked with Ipswich at the time, was described as similar to another Manchester City defender, John Stones.
Umir wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Ahmedhodzic and Jacob Greaves are genuinely profile/frame/style-wise the Championship graduate versions of Stones and Dias. Ahmedhodzic vocal in Stones as an inspiration. Greaves looks like a left footed Dias. Ipswich would do well to have them be a duo.”
Not only would Wolves be signing a very capable defender in Greaves, but the 193-centimetre man mountain is yet to reach his full potential. Also capable of playing at left-back, the Hull academy graduate has only played one season in the Premier League and is bound to improve if he gets more experience at the top level.
Wanderers would be bringing in a player heading into his prime and the club would be able to provide a strong platform for Greaves to enjoy the best years of his career in a team hoping to fight for a top-half finish. It awaits to be seen how high of a bid Ipswich would need to receive to let their number 24 depart but it surely wouldn’t be out of Wolves’ reach.
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