Wolves midfielder Andre has settled in seamlessly, but the Brazilian is lacking significantly in one area.
Vitor Pereira stressed Andre’s importance to his Wolves squad, lauding the 23-year-old’s intelligence in the middle of the park.
Since his 2024 deadline day arrival, the Brazil international has hardly put a foot wrong for the Old Gold, rising as one of Pereira’s best players.
It’s difficult to imagine Wolves without the midfield pivot of Joao Gomes and his compatriot, but the summer transfer could add another name to the fold.
Photo by Gabriel Calvino Alonso/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Photo by Gabriel Calvino Alonso/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Gabriel Sara signing could help Wolves’ midfield
Though the Old Gold’s midfield needs no tweaks, the boss could certainly use some depth in the position.
Pereira hasn’t made use of Tommy Doyle and Boubacar Traore, as the manager explained how the midfield pair don’t suit what he requires from the role.
As a result, Wolves have been linked to Gabriel Sara of Galatasaray, a positional equal to Andre and Gomes, who is valued at £34m.
On paper, paying a fee as high as £34m for Sara looks unlikely, but when exploring what the Brazilian could offer to Pereira’s midfield, it’s a price that might need to be paid.
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Though Andre and Gomes present Pereira with the perfect balance, that doesn’t mean the duo come without fault.
As per FBref, Andre is one of the worst-performing midfielders in the Premier League when it comes to aerial duels, winning an average of just 0.08 per 90.
The statistic places the former Fluminense star in the bottom 2% in the 2024/25 league rankings, which is where the acquisition of Sara could come in handy.
Gomes also ranks poorly in the metric, being in the bottom 12% of Premier League players at winning duels in the air, but Sara is the opposite of his countrymen.
Using data over the past year, FBref note that the Wolves target ranks in the top 3% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues with his percentage of aerial duels won per 90.
Emerging victorious from 66.7% of his aerial duels per 90, Sara could hand Pereira that presence in the air that the current Wolves pivot is missing.
How Gabriel Sara performed in the Championship
It’s not just in the air that Sara conquers, as many clubs in England already know all too well.
Galatasaray signed the 25-year-old from Norwich City in the summer transfer window on the back of a glistening two years with the Canaries.
During his time in East Anglia, Sara proved that he’s so much more than a central midfielder, contributing to a magnificent 38 goals in 96 appearances.
By acquiring the rumoured Wolves target, Pereira could find a player ready to contribute to the goals as well as offering some additional stability in midfield, making for the perfect signing on paper.