Vitor Pereira might be tempted to seek inspiration from one of Matt Hobbs’ transfer decisions.
Though Wolves have bid farewell to Hobbs, the former sporting director might have inspired Pereira to do something bold this summer.
The Old Gold have welcomed their first signing of the 2025 summer transfer window, signing Fer Lopez from Celta Vigo.
There’s a lot more that Pereira wants to do regarding incomings; however, the Wolves manager could also be tempted to sanction some exits.
Nasser Djiga First Day at Wolverhampton Wanderers
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Nasser Djiga could benefit from a loan
Wolves have a list of players they’d like to offload, one of which is Tommy Doyle, who is set to leave Molineux this summer.
Birmingham City are willing to offer Wolves a £10m fee for Doyle, which would be paid at the end of an initial loan spell.
Doyle isn’t the only one who could leave, with a decision to be made on another player who has newly arrived.
In January, Wolves signed Nasser Djiga from Red Star Belgrade, but it’s become clear that Pereira isn’t ready to fully trust the Burkina Faso international just yet.
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Djiga impressed in Serbia, but the jump to the Premier League is quite significant and, at only 22, there’s plenty of time and space for the defender to develop further.
Pereira echoed such when speaking to the media, as relayed by Express and Star.
“He’s learning. He’s a player that is a team worker and he needs to learn, he needs to look at what [Matt] Doherty is doing because they play in the same position.”
The boss went on to explain that competition is important for Djiga, but was also unable to confidently confirm whether it is ‘possible’ to see the centre-back in action regularly next term.
“To have a chance to put Nasser in the game is not easy, and we have Santi. He is someone that needs to improve, but he’s a worker, so we’ll see.
“We’ll see if it’s possible, for me, football is a competition. We need competition inside the team.”
Pereira called on Djiga to wait for his turn alongside other players waiting for the chance to be trusted with consistent minutes.
“If me and you play in the same position and I’m playing better than you, the coach must decide. It doesn’t mean you don’t have quality, but you need to wait for your turn.”
Wolves need depth in defence, but also need players to find the room to grow, which for Djiga, could see the 22-year-old benefit from a loan spell.
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2024/25 Media Access Day
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
This is where Hobbs’ masterplan comes into the frame, as in January 2024, the former sporting director shipped Yerson Mosquera off on loan to Villarreal.
The move came on the back of a successful spell in the United States, with Hobbs deciding to grant the Colombian further experience before returning to fight for a place at Molineux.
Wolves’ hierarchy could seek inspiration from Hobbs’ handling of Mosquera, who starred at Villarreal and returned to the Premier League as a worthy starter.
Getting consistent game time at the top level did wonders for Mosquera and could do the same for Djiga, whose stance in the squad is unclear heading into pre-season.