Wolves reportedly had a scout present to watch Atletico Madrid take on Cacereno in the Copa del Rey earlier this week.
The January transfer window is now only a few weeks away, and fans are very much looking forward to the club hopefully doing some mid-season business.
It has been an awful season so far for Wolves, who are 19th in the Premier League table.
Gary O’Neil is on the verge of the sack after a shocking 4-0 defeat to Everton in midweek. A loss against West Ham United on Sunday will surely mean it’s all over for him.
Certainly, him reaching the January transfer window seems a very unlikely outcome right now.
But Wolves are working away in the background regardless of the manager’s position – and it seems there are one or more players the club had an eye on from either Atletico Madrid or Cacereno.
Wolves scout watched Atletico Madrid as Clement Lenglet, Reinildo and others suggested
Clement Lenglet of Atletico Madrid during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Real Valladolid v Atletico Madrid at the Estadio Nuevo Jose Zorrilla...
Photo by Cesar Ortiz Gonzalez/Soccrates/Getty Images
Wolves are in desperate need of a new centre-back.
It was reported recently that Wolves signing a new centre-back in January will be the main focus, having not replaced Max Kilman in the summer, and having then lost Yerson Mosquera to a season-ending knee injury.
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As reported by Mundo Deportivo, Wolves actually sent a scout to the recent game between Atletico Madrid and Cacereno.
It’s unclear as to who exactly the scout was there to watch, but Mundo do offer some suggestions.
Veteran centre-back Reinildo didn’t actually play, but is suggested as a potential target since he’s out of contract at the end of the season.
Clement Lenglet, on loan from Barcelona, is another centre-back who may have been of interest. He came off the bench in the game. Some will remember that Lenglet has had spells in the Premier League before with Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.
Wingers Rodrigo Riquelme and Samu Lino are also suggested as players who could fit Wolves.
For Careceno, goalkeeper Diego Nieves, strikers Christian Martínez and Salinas, and defender Barrio are all suggested as potential players who the Wolves scout may have had their eye on.
Wolves can use Atletico connection to make signings
The club are in a very similar situation to what they were two years ago when Julen Lopetegui arrived at the club ahead of the January transfer window.
He needed players to come in who could make a difference there and then – and he did manage to do that.
The additions of Craig Dawson and Mario Lemina proved especially key. Had those two not arrived, Wolves may not have survived relegation that season.
We’ll see what happens in January, but the addition of a first-team ready central defender is absolutely essentially, and one can only hope the groundwork has already been laid for someone to come in nice and early in the window.
Wolves have obviously done business with Atletico Madrid before, having brought players like Jonny Castro Otto, Diogo Jota and Matheus Cunha to the club.