Wolverhampton Wanderers bounced back to form as they secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Burnley in the Premier League on Tuesday thanks to a solitary effort by Hwang Hee-chan.
The Old Gold had lost their previous two league matches and hadn’t won since defeating Tottenham Hotspur prior to the international break, therefore three points is a massive boost heading into the festive season.
The Molineux outfit face five more games before the end of the year and if Gary O’Neil is aiming for a top-half finish in the league this season, he will surely be targeting maximum points from the games against Nottingham Forest, Brentford, and Everton in the next few weeks.
Securing wins will be his main objective, but with the January transfer window just around the corner, O’Neil will also be keen on adding another one or two new faces to his squad.
With this in mind, it appears as though the 40-year-old is targeting another centre-back, with the Old Gold keen on a player who they may be able to sign in January for a knockdown price – Victor Nelsson.
Wolves transfer news – Victor Nelsson
According to Turkish newspaper Sabah, the Galatasaray defender looks like he could be set to leave the club as he is now currently fourth choice in the pecking order.
Wolves began to show interest in the defender last week, according to Aksam (via Sport Witness) and the report claimed that the Midlands side were keen on making a bid for the player in January, the Turkish outfit hoping someone would trigger his €25m (£21.4m) release clause in order to sign him.
The fresh update by Sabah however, states that Galatasaray would now be willing ‘to accept a €10m (£8.5m) transfer fee’ for the player as they seek to move him on at the earliest possible opportunity.
He moved to Turkey from Danish side FC Copenhagen ahead of the 2021/22 season and has made 98 appearances for the club, yet during the current campaign, Nelsson has started just 12 matches, and he no longer appears to be a vital member of the squad.
This is good news for O’Neil, especially with the fact he will be able to sign him for a much cheaper fee than first anticipated, and it would give the squad some much-needed depth in that area going into the second half of the season.
Since former captain Conor Coady departed, the club haven’t really replaced him, yet Nelsson could certainly fill that void.
Wolves have failed to replace Conor Coady
The centre-back joined Wolves in the summer of 2015, and he played a key role in their rise from Championship hopefuls to Premier League regulars.
During the 2017/18 season, Coady played all but one league game as the Old Gold secured promotion back to the top tier and, over the next four seasons, he remarkably played in 151 out of 152 available matches and was an integral part of Nuno Espírito Santo’s squad that saw the club secure a couple of top half finishes in the league.
Bruno Lage sent him on a season-long loan to Everton in the summer of 2022, and it coincided with some of their worst form since the club were promoted as they won just three of their opening 17 matches that term and looked certainties for relegation.
Julen Lopetegui managed to save them, yet during the summer transfer window, the Spaniard sold Coady to Championship side Leicester City for a fee in the region of £7.5m and the club haven’t really replaced him.
While the club are hovering around midtable, they have conceded 25 goals and it is clear some improvement in the defence is required.
Nelsson could arrive in the Midlands and finally be the heir to Coady that they have craved for the previous 18 months.
Victor Nelsson’s career statistics
His talent shone through during his spell with Copenhagen as he made nearly 100 appearances for the club, and he was heavily praised by football talent scout Jacek Kulig back in 2020, who said:
“Very good performance by 21-year-old Victor Nelsson against Man United yesterday despite the result. His development is exemplary so far.
“Superb centre-back. Another Danish talent that will sign with a strong European club rather sooner than later.”
It didn’t take long for other clubs to take notice, and he ended up in Turkey with Galatasaray, joining them ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.
49.7
37.9
3.6
2.1
0.8
0.6
1
1
4.5
3.7
During his maiden season, Nelsson ranked third across the whole squad for accurate passes per game (51.3), along with ranking first for clearances per game (3.9) and second for accurate long passes per game (three), proving that he was effective at distributing the ball compared to his teammates.
Last season was even better as he topped the pile for accurate passes per game and ranked second for accurate long balls per game and his performances allowed the club to claim their first league title since 2019.
Despite these two promising seasons, the Dane isn’t getting as many opportunities during the current campaign and his statistics have suffered as a result.
He has dropped out of the top four across the squad in the two passing metrics, ranking sixth and fifth, while also failing to rank in the top five for tackles and interceptions per game.
This shouldn’t fool O’Neil, however, as it is clear his performances haven’t been as impressive due to the 25-year-old not starting as many games for the club as he did during his first two seasons.
It appears as though a fresh challenge is needed in order for him to improve his game and a move to Wolves could certainly provide just that.
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While they have a few solid options at the back, the truth is, the Midlands side haven’t managed to replace the solidity and leadership abilities of Coady since he departed, with Nelsson perhaps a dream solution having previously been tipped to be a "future leader" of his country, in the words of Kulig.
The Dane has still to hit his peak years, arguably, and managing to secure his signature for a fee of just £8.5m could turn out to be O’Neil’s finest piece of transfer business yet, there is no doubt about it.