Wolverhampton Wanderers are among a cluster of teams expected to have a tricky season in the bottom half of the table as a poor summer of recruitment has left their squad looking threadbare.
Despite this, the Old Gold managed to pull off a shock 1-0 victory over Manchester City out of the blue while a point in the Midlands derby against Aston Villa has done wonders to paper over the cracks.
Putting their early season struggles behind them, Wolves enter the international break with the bit between their teeth, and unfortunately, that narrative doesn't align with their business in the transfer window.
The Old Gold had to navigate through a myriad of Financial Fair Play (FFP) problems this summer while selling some of their stars to comply with the rules has left them depleted in multiple areas.
Failure to replace the departing talent as well as missing out on their key transfer targets is a tale that Wolves supporters have become all too familiar with in recent times, exemplified by the deal to sign Sven Botman that collapsed in the summer of 2021.
Did Wolves come close to signing Sven Botman?
The centre-back position is an area that Wolves needed to strengthen with Willy Boly and Conor Coady approaching the twilight years of their career with their search for a new star leading them to Sven Botman.
The 21-year-old had just appeared in all but one game for Lille in their title-winning campaign in Ligue 1 and featured in all eight of their Europa League matches, drawing praise from teammate Jose Fonte, with the Portuguese veteran earmarking some of his best attributes.
Fonte said: “He’s tall, he’s considerably fast, he has a great left foot, he gives great balls between the lines and he reads the game very well."
Being exceptional in possession and domineering without is the hallmark of any modern centre-back, and it's clear to see why Wolves were keen to lure him to Molineux, tabling a bid of £25m.
That bid was instantly knocked back by the French giants as they valued the Dutch U21 international at £35m, a fee that Newcastle went on to trigger in the following summer, and he has since gone on to become a revelation at St James' Park.
How much is Sven Botman worth now?
Having experienced Champions League football at Lille, the "outstanding" Botman – as lauded by Paul Merson – arrived in the North East with aspirations of achieving that aim with Newcastle, and the Dutchman helped the Magpies qualify for Europe's elite competition for the first time in two decades.
A centre-back who has the tools to become truly world-class, possessing the physical attributes to bully opposition attackers off the ball, read the game exceptionally well to sniff out danger and be a tackling machine at the heart of Eddie Howe's defence while impressing with his calmness in possession and exquisite passing range, Botman's stellar performances last term drew a glowing admission from Jamie Redknapp.
The former Liverpool midfielder and current pundit said: "Botman at the back, 22, we’ve seen some good centre-backs in this league (but) he’s got the capabilities to be better than them. He’s a real leader of men – what a special player he is.”
That high level of praise is reflected by the fact that Newcastle were the joint-best defence in the league with Manchester City last season as the Magpies only shipped 33 goals and the £90k per-week warrior was at the epicenter of that success.
Although he wasn't the only addition responsible for the Toon's transformation as the signings of Nick Pope and Alexander Isak in the summer while the acquisitions of Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes and Dan Burn in the January previous all led their assault towards Europe, Botman's influence can't be understated.
How does Sven Botman compare to Max Kilman?
It could be said that Botman is even better than Wolves' current options, namely Max Kilman, the subject of a bid from Napoli last summer.
Indeed, as per FBref, while Kilman prevails in the defensive areas, sitting in the top 5% of centre-backs in Europe for blocks and the best 22% for clearances (Botman ranks top 36% and best 55%), the Dutch titan is a far greater threat offensively and on the ball, registering more touches in the attacking penalty area, a better pass completion rate and a higher level of shots and assists. The very fact he's playing for a Champions League side, of course, also helps his cause.
The 23-year-old – who was previously praised by Paulo Maldini as a "great player" – came into a Newcastle defence that leaked goals for fun in the season prior (62 to be exact) and helped shave nearly half of those off, leaving Wolves wishing it was them benefiting from the star-like qualities of the €50m (£43m) rated star who is destined to become world-class.