Wolves now readying bid to sign £30k-p/w Max Kilman replacement for O’Neil.
Wolves are readying a bid to sign a long-overdue Max Kilman replacement in the dying stages of the transfer window, according to one report.
O’Neil needs reinforcements
Gary O’Neil’s side were handed a tough Premier League opening day match as they travelled to north London to take on last season’s title challengers Arsenal, and the result largely went as expected with his side falling to a 2-0 defeat.
The performance of Colombian defender Yerson Mosquera will have come as a positive to O’Neil after he spent last season out on loan with Villarreal, but the Wolves squad still looks very light with veteran defender Craig Dawson and Santiago Bueno the only central defenders behind Mosquera and Toti Gomes, both of whom started at the Emirates.
Premier League club want key Sheffield United man but may not be able to afford him
Wolverhampton Wanderers have once again been linked with a move for Sheffield United centre-back Anel Ahmedhodzic. The Bosnian international is reportedly high on the transfer shortlist for Gary O’Neil, and according to Football Insider Wolves are ready to make a serious bid for the defender.
The 25-year-old was a key part of a United team which conceded over 100 goals in the Premier League last season, nevertheless, he has been linked with various clubs such as Atalanta and Wolves over the summer.
Ahmedhodzic, who signed for the club for approximately £4 million from Malmo in the summer of 2022, began his Blades career in remarkable form, quickly proving the club had secured a bargain for a promising defender. Ahmedhodzic concluded the Championship campaign with six goals and two assists in 34 appearances, contributing to 16 clean sheets – achieving automatic promotion and helping the club reach an FA Cup semi-final along the way.
According to Fotboll Direkt, Ahmedhodzic is thought to have a release clause of £17 million written into his contract and this can be activated providing add-ons and clauses amount to the £17 million sum. Malmo will be entitled to 13% of any future sale that exceeds €4.5m, per information provided by Transfermarkt.
Sheffield United now have a completely new way of playing this season and it is far more expansive than in recent years. Chris Wilder now wants his side to be a lot more dominant in possession and the build up phase of play is far more intricate than we’ve become accustomed to at Bramall Lane. And Anel Ahmedhodzic is a big part of that.
The Bosnian has the passing ability to not only feed the ball into forward areas or into the pivot of Vinicius Souza and Oli Arblaster, but he also has good mobility on the ball to drive into space and split the opposition lines, helping the Blades to play against the press. Taking Ahmedhodzic out of the team may hinder this aspect of the new system, and that’s not to mention his proven track record at Championship level both defensively and in the final third.
Wilder has Leicester City loanee Harry Souttar as another right-footed defensive option, but while he is strong in duels and comfortable on the ball he doesn’t offer that same finesse that Ahmedhodzic does for example, especially if you’re talking about driving the team forward up the pitch through an explosive run.
