Wolves will be in the market for a range of players this summer.
Having lost Matheus Cunha to Manchester United and Rayan Ait-Nouri to Manchester City, and with club captain Nelson Semedo seemingly unwilling to sign a new deal, the club must act to provide Vitor Pereira with the reinforcements he needs.
To that end, 21-year-old Spaniard Fer Lopez has joined from Celta Vigo.
Fer Lopez reacts during Celta Vigo's La Liga match against Villarreal.
Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/JAR Sport Images/NurPhoto via Getty Images
More recently, in a positive development for the Old Gold, one of their long-term targets has revealed that a Premier League switch is appealing to him.
Christos Mandas open to Premier League move as Lazio name their price
Wolves were first interested in Christos Mandas in the summer of 2024.
However, after failing to meet Lazio’s asking price for the Greek goalkeeper, the club signed Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace instead.
Johnstone was favoured ahead of Jose Sa until Gary O’Neil was sacked, after which Vitor Pereira reinstated the Portuguese shot-stopper as the club’s first choice.
Yet with doubts swirling around Jose Sa’s Wolves future, the club could be forced to enter the market to bring in a new number one.
Jose Sa acknowledges the Wolves fans as he is substituted during their Premier League match against Brentford.
Photo by Stuart Leggett | MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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In this respect, Mandas remains an admired figure among the Wolves hierarchy.
As reported by Il Messaggero (via Sports Witness), Lazio are waiting to see if Wolves return for Mandas this summer.
It will take a significant bid to prise the Greek away from Rome, with Lazio looking for a fee of at least €30m (£25.8m).
However, it appears Mandas himself is open to the move, stating that “the Premier League interests me”.
While that must be caveated by Mandas adding that “I will not move just for the sake of it,” and that he hopes “to still be [at Lazio] next season,” it means he would be open to moving to Molineux if the right offer is made.
Moreover, as he faces intense competition for the starting berth at Lazio – the club’s other goalkeeper, Ivan Provedel, started 29 Serie A games last season, 20 more than Mandas – the 23-year-old could be tempted by the offer of more regular first team football.
Christos Mandas in action for Lazio.
Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images
How Christos Mandas compares with Jose Sa
Even if Sa does stay at Molineux, Mandas’ performances last season indicate he should be favoured ahead of the 32-year-old.
Across 20 games in all competitions throughout the 2024/25 campaign, Mandas kept six clean sheets and only conceded 18 goals.
Stat Jose Sa Christos Mandas
Appearances 30 20
Clean sheets 7 6
Goals conceded 51 18
Goals conceded per game 1.7 0.9
Average rating 6.78 7.18
Jose Sa’s and Christos Mandas’ stats from the 2024/25 season, according to Sofascore
By contrast, Sa conceded 51 goals in 30 games in all competitions last season, keeping seven clean sheets.
Being nine years Sa’s junior also plays into Mandas’ hands, as he can be an option that the club builds around in the long term.
While steep, it may not be the worst idea in the world for Wolves to part ways with some of the money earned from their big-name sales this summer and meet Lazio’s demands, then.