Better than O’Shea: Wolves looking at late move for “dominant” defender.
Gary O’Neil’s Wolverhampton Wanderers defied all expectations during the 2023/24 season to survive relegation, even when many believed they would face the drop and return to the Championship.
That was a sentiment shared by many, including the BBC Sport’s chief football writer Phil McNulty, who explained at the start of last term that he had a “very, very worrying feeling” about the Old Gold.
However, the Midlands club more than avoided the drop last term, finishing 14th on 46 points, which saw them end up 20 points clear of 18th place Luton Town, who suffered the drop themselves after getting to just 26 points.
Wolves manager Gary O’Neil
With 2024/25 well and truly upon us, McNulty has once again submitted his predictions, this time predicting Wolves to finish 15th, believing they “can avoid danger”. That said, they have made a poor start to the campaign, losing two out of two games and conceding eight goals.
They’ve so far dropped points to Arsenal, suffering a 2-0 defeat to the Gunners, and Chelsea, to whom they shipped a whopping six goals. Given the fact they are leaking goals, they may well try and strengthen at the back before Friday’s deadline and have been linked with one man who could add quality in defence.
Wolves target Championship defender
The player in question here is Sheffield United and Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Anel Ahmedhodzic. After impressing during his time at Bramall Lane, the centre-back has been linked with a move back to the Premier League following the Blades’ relegation.
According to a report from TEAMtalk, the Old Gold ‘are set to step up their pursuit’ of the 25-year-old, after they missed out on the signature of Dara O’Shea, who signed for Ipswich Town instead.
Sheffield United’s Anel Ahmedhodzic
The report explains that O’Neil is ‘desperate to add more cover and quality’ to his backline, especially after the disastrous performance on Sunday against Chelsea which saw them lose 6-2. The lack of Max Kilman at the back for Wolves, who joined West Ham, is said to be a big miss.
In terms of a price, there are rumours that Ahmedhodzic has a release clause worth £17m in his Bramall Lane contract. That is something that fits Wolves’ tight budget of a reported £20m. However, the Blades seem convinced that the defender will remain at the club this summer.
Why Ahmedhodzic would be a good signing
The Bosnian defender was a crucial player under Chris Wilder last season. Despite his efforts, he could not keep the Blades in the top flight. However, he did feature in 31 games, although it was a hard campaign defensively for Sheffield United, as they kept just one Premier League clean sheet.
