Wolves could be in the market for a player that they were linked with last summer
Wolverhampton Wanderers are expected to renew their interest in a highly-rated 23-year-old star that was also linked with title challengers Manchester City and Europa League runners-up Manchester United last summer.
The Old Gold spent most of last summer expecting to lose Portuguese international Jose Sa due to interest from Saudi Arabia and it was widely reported that the 32-year-old, who won Wolves’ Players' Player of season award in 2021/22 would depart to the Middle East.
As they scoured the market for a replacement they were heavily linked with Lazio goalkeeper Christos Mandas but the Greek international ended up remaining near the Italian capital, with Wolves instead splashing out £10m on Sam Johnstone.
Former England international Johnstone struggled to make an impression and was ultimately usurped in the pecking order by Sa, who emerged as the undisputed number one after talks over a move to Saudi never came to fruition.
Wolves remain interested in Christos Mandas
Italian outlet Corriere della Sera claim that Wolves remain interested in landing 23-year-old Greece international Christos Mandas this summer.
The report claims the West Midlands side ‘above all’ lead the race for the goalkeeper but add that there is also still interest from other English clubs looking to bolster their goalkeeping department.The uncertainty about Mandas’ future at Lazio is largely due to the lack of clarity about the Biancocelesti’s first-choice option between the sticks.
The former OFI Crete had reportedly expected to be a regular last season despite warming the bench for most of his first campaign but was restricted to nine Serie A appearances, which was the exact same amount he had managed in his first term at the Stadio Olympico.
New manager Maurizio Sarri, who returned to the club this summer, was the man who signed Mandas originally, but he only sees the 23-year-old as a backup option due to reported concerns over his ball-playing abilities. It’s reported that Mandas will be available to move to a Premier League side for a fee in the region of 30 million euros (£25m) although this figure seems steep due to the footballer’s lack of first team action in the last two seasons.
Lazio star Christos Mandas’ past comments on transfer interest
Christos Mandas may have only played nine league matches last season but he was given regular starts in the team’s road to the Europa League quarter-final and in the Coppa Italia which means his overall appearance tally was 20 last term.
He claims despite speculation surrounding his future that he’s not actively seeking a move away from the Italian capital. He told local outlet Il Tempo last year, via Sports Witness: “That’s nice, it’s normal. If the opportunity of a lifetime comes along, it’s right to make your own assessments, but I’m no longer in a small club, so even if a top club were to call me, my first thought wouldn’t be to leave. Mandas made it clear that he’s happy at Lazio and with the project at the Biancocelesti: “I would evaluate it knowing that I’m fine here, that the club has a project for me and that they made me renew my contract.”
With the aforementioned arrival of Sarri, however, it does seem likely that Mandas will take the opportunity to leave his current club this summer. With Wolves joining Man United, Newcastle, Aston Villa and Chelsea on the hunt for a new goalkeeper this summer, it will be fascinating to see which Premier League club manages to bag Mandas.
Continue Reading