Wolves can inflict pain on Celtic and Rangers with £15m transfer swoop | OneFootball

Wolves must show their financial strength to beat Celtic and Rangers to the signing of Frosinone winger Fares Ghedjemis.

Wolves have had a slow start to the transfer window, with Kieran Trippier, Raul Jimenez and Rafiki Said the only new additions so far.

Whilst nobody will doubt the quality of Trippier and Jimenez, who are two huge signings for new boss Cesar Peixoto, it’s fair to say that supporters were expecting more given the bullish talk from chairman Nathan Shi and technical director Matt Jackson following their embarrassing relegation.

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In fairness, the hierarchy will no doubt argue that the Wolves squad is in decent shape, and there is still time to make new additions, with weeks to go until the transfer window.

But, the lack of serious activity means Wanderers should be in a position to spend, and Peixoto has already made it clear that he wants a new winger through the door.

Wolves must show their financial muscle to beat Celtic & Rangers to Fares Ghedjemis

Peixoto said that before the injury to new recruit Said, which will keep the ex-Standard Liege man out of action for the first few months of the campaign.

With Mateus Mane and Rodrigo Gomes expected to start the season down the flanks, Wolves do have quality, but there is an alarming lack of depth in that role.

Obviously, that needs to be rectified, but it’s not a case of just signing anyone, as Peixoto needs quality, and one player who fits the bill is Fares Ghedjemis.

It has been claimed previously that the 23-year-old is on Wolves’ radar, but those links have cooled, with Celtic and Rangers now battling for his signature.

The Glasgow giants have had offers rejected by Frosinone, with Celtic bidding £6m, and Rangers offering £8m for the left-footer. However, that is nowhere near the valuation of the Serie A side, who are believed to be seeking €15m to €20m for their star man.

Clearly, that would be a huge sum for either of the Scottish sides, and despite the size of the clubs, it may not be in their financial reach. Yet, it’s a different story for Wolves, who should be capable of meeting Frosinone’s demands.

In the past two windows, the likes of Emmanuel Agbadou, Jhon Arias, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Joao Gomes have helped the club collect in excess of £100m, as well as saving a lot in wages.

So, any excuses about finances shouldn’t really wash, as Wolves should be in a position to spend right now.

Fares Ghedjemis has qualities that Wolves are lacking right now

Pleasingly, Wolves aren’t in a position where they need to overhaul the squad in the final weeks of the window, so they can focus their budget on real talented players that will enhance the group.

As outlined above, Peixoto wants a winger, and Ghedjemis has a profile that Wolves are lacking right now.

Primarily a right-winger, Ghedjemis has been compared to Riyad Mahrez, which may be a lazy choice due to his Algerian nationality, but it shows what sort of player he is.

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At his best, he will cut inside from the right-flank, he can find intelligent balls with his left foot, and, crucially, he scores a lot of goals.

That is very different to Gomes, who is more direct and looking to take his defender on the outside, and it’s vital that Peixoto has players with different attributes in his squad.

Plus, at 23, Ghedjemis is someone who has plenty of room to develop, so he ticks all the boxes that Wolves should want.

It won’t be easy to convince the player to swap Serie A for the Championship, whilst Celtic and Rangers can both offer European football.

But, the Wolves hierarchy are on record stating that they expect the club to be in the Premier League next season, so it shouldn’t be that difficult a project to sell to players.

The deals for Trippier and Jimenez were seen as the club backing up those words with actions, but it has dried up since. Now, as we approach the final weeks of the window, it’s important that the ambition returns, and beating Celtic and Rangers to Ghedjemis would be a statement of intent.