The turning point in Wolves season arguably came in the January transfer window when Vitor Pereira landed the signature of Emmanuel Agbadou from Stade Reims.
Agbadou was signed for £16.6 million, becoming Pereira’s first signing as manager of Wolves and inarguably the most important so far.
The 27-year-old has slotted superbly into the back three and instantly adapted to life in the Premier League, bringing with him assurance on the ball and strength to deal with dangerous attacks.
Vitor Pereira has praised Agbadou’s physicality, claiming he poses a ‘big problem’ for opponents, and this has helped Wolves pull away from danger.
Wolves 1-0 win over West Ham on Tuesday night saw them move 12 points clear of the bottom three, almost confirming their Premier League status while highlighting the rise of Agbadou.
Andreas Beck sheds light on Emmanuel Agbadou’s rise
The rise of Agbadou over the past few years has been phenomenal to watch. In the 2019/20 campaign, he was playing for Tunisian outfit Monastir before being snapped up by Belgian side K.A.S Eupen.
Former German international Andreas Beck played alongside Agbadou at Eupen, and the 38-year-old has shed light on his rise towards Premier League stardom.
He believes that a couple of seasons in Belgium was the perfect stepping stone for the Ivorian, as he was a raw talent who wasn’t ready to play in one of the big five leagues.
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In an interview with RG, Beck said: “Agbadou is the kind of player who came to the Belgian league as a raw talent. If he came to the Bundesliga at that age, he wouldn’t make it because you have to be more structured.
“You could see that he had so much quality and talent, but he wasn’t as technically and tactically skilled as he is today. He needed to go to an intermediate league like Belgium in order to compete, to adjust to the cold winters, and to be molded by the pressure.”
Beck then compared Agbadou’s progression to Liverpool icon Roberto Firmino, who waited a year at Hoffeinheim for his talents to shine through.
“Similarly to my former Hoffenheim teammate Roberto Firmino, he needed this first year for his talents to shine through, to play up to his strengths and reduce these mistakes,” Beck said.
“After 1-2 years, I was saying that Agbadou has to go to the Bundesliga. He then went to a stepping-stone club in France, and now he’s in the best league in the world.”
Agbadou has made a massive difference at Wolves
Agbadou has made a huge difference at Wolves, seeing his talents shine through at the centre of a back three.
The Ivorian learned his trade at Eupen, became a man at Reims and is growing into one of the Premier League’s best defenders.
With a blend of outrageous physicality, excellent ball progression and a brilliant footballing brain, Agbadou has been dubbed a ‘revelation’ by Dave Edwards.
The eye test shows that Wolves have landed a bargain, but also statistically, with the defender instantly showing off his talents.
Emmanuel Agbadou’s Wolves stats
8 matches played
2 clean sheets
83% pass completion
2.1 tackles per game
5.4 balls recovered per game
6.1 clearances per game
5 duels won per game (65%)
From humble beginnings at Eupen to starring in England’s top-flight, the world is now Agbadou’s oyster, and it’s incredible to think what he could achieve as he reaches his prime years.