Vitor Pereira has a job on his hands as Wolves boss this season.placeholder image
Vitor Pereira has a job on his hands as Wolves boss this season. | Getty Images
The January market may be crucial for Wolverhampton Wanderers this season
The only side not to pick up a Premier League point in August, it has been a difficult start to the new season for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The international break will have come at a good time for Vitor Pereira, who will look to rejuvenate his side ahead of a chance at a fresh start when they travel to also winless Newcastle United - who recently targeted Jorgen Strand Larsen - on Saturday. A crunch clash with Leeds United follows after that.
It was well-documented that Wolves lost key players over the summer, but that was nothing new. The Old Gold are used to selling key players almost every summer and replenishing their squad with a host of new talent.
This time seems more alarming, though, and new signings will need to adapt to the Premier League quickly or else the West Midlands club could find themselves in serious trouble. Solid starts to the season by the promoted clubs have only added to the concern around Molineux and the January market could, therefore, prove crucial.
Wolves target unsettled at Serie A giants and considering future
According to reports by Corriere dello Sport in Italy, Greece goalkeeper Christos Mandas is facing a ‘crossroads’ at Lazio after he found himself dropped to the bench by Maurizio Sarri.
The 23-year-old is said to be waiting for his chance to start in goal in Serie A, but Sarri has selected Ivan Provedel in their opening two matches. Without European football this season, the opportunity to rotate in league matches must be there for Mandas or else he may need to reconsider his future.
Wolves were prepared to offer €20 million (£17m) for the shot-stopper over the summer according to the report, a fee Lazio did not feel in the place to accept due to the club’s ongoing transfer ban and inability to bring in a replacement. The situation could yet change in January if the player feels he is not being given a fair chance to play and continue to develop.
Mandas January bid could be on the cards for Wolves
Mandas said of the situation: "When I train hard, [Provedel] does too. This allows us to improve the level. In the locker room there is a good atmosphere. It doesn't matter who plays, but we do well. We still don't know who will be the starter, the decision will be Sarri's."
The 23-year-old made 20 appearances last season, playing a total of 1,830 minutes in all. He ended the season as Lazio’s first choice in Serie A under Marco Baroni, while also playing a key run in the Biancocelesti’s run to the Europa League quarter-finals, before the return of Sarri over the summer has led to his relegation to the bench. He will hope to take his career to the next level this season, be that in Rome or elsewhere.
The signing of Mandas could be key for Wolves, who have three goalkeepers aged 32 and have continued with Jose Sa in goal at the beginning of the new season. The integration of a potential star-in-the-making in the shape of Mandas could be the boost which the club needs to turn around their fortunes in the second half of the season.
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