Max Kilman, Conor Coady - Wolves' transfer options amid Nathan Collins talks
Transfer news from Wolverhampton Wanderers and a look at the central defensive department with Nathan Collins potentially moving to Brentford
Wolves defender Nathan Collins could be on his way to Premier League rivals Brentford as the clubs hold talks over the transfer fee. Brentford have reportedly offered £23m while Wolves are holding on for £25m to help keep them the right side of Financial Fair Play regulations and potentially start to fund signings this summer.
But if Collins does go, is that one area where Wolves could save money and instead concentrate their budget on other parts of the team? Here are their options in central defence if Wolves and Brentford agree a deal and Collins moves on.
Craig Dawson: A superb January signing at just £3.3m from West Ham. Dawson, who turned 33 last month, would have given captain Ruben Neves a tough challenge for the player of the year award had he been there all season. In fact, Dawson’s performances alongside Max Kilman meant Nathan Collins struggled to get into the team in the second half season, perhaps a major reason why Wolves feel they could cash in on Collins to satisfy Financial Fair Play without weakening the team.
Max Kilman: The 26 year old left-footed centre half has been linked with interest from both Spurs and West Ham but, if Collins is sold, Wolves would surely be reluctant to part with Kilman even if he would fetch £30m or more. He started all but one of Wolves' Premier League games last season and clearly benefited from playing alongside Dawson.
Considering Wolves' Premier League safety was largely secured on the strength of their defence then going into the new campaign with last year’s centre back partnership of Dawson and Kilman would be no bad thing. The more telling question could be about the strength in depth to cope over the whole campaign.
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Toti : The 24 year old, who signed from Portuguese side Estoril in the summer of 2020, has enjoyed a decent year. In March, he signed a two-year extension to his contract to keep him at the club until 2027. Further reward for his Wolves performances came in May when he was given his first senior call up to the Portugal squad.
His success came mostly at left back as he made the most of his chances in that position to help the team to Premier League safety. His more natural position is centre back although he’s happy to play anywhere for the team. His versatility could be crucial to the defence if Wolves focus their spending on other areas this summer.
Conor Coady: Linked to Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest and Leicester but remains under contract at Wolves and is due to report back with the rest of the squad for pre-season training at the end of this month.
It looked like his Wolves career might be over when former Wolves boss Bruno Lage decided he didn’t fit into his switch to four at the back and so allowed him to join Everton on a season-long loan, a move that also enhanced Coady’s chances of making the England squad.
However, he lost his place after Sean Dyche was appointed Everton manager in January and the club decided against triggering a £4.5m clause to make the loan permanent.
The argument against keeping Coady is that he’s better suited to a back three than the back four that Lopetegui used to get Wolves to safety.
The arguments in favour of keeping him are he’s still only 30, an England international and, as a former captain, just the right type of character. Could Wolves be confident of signing better for the £4.5m or less he might fetch this summer?
Sporting director Matt Hobbs said a decision would be made after Coady has a good chat with Lopetegui. But he certainly didn’t rule out Coady staying in a club interview in which he said: “Conor is someone I’ve spoken to more or less every day since the season finished. He’s made it clear he’d like to come back, however there’s obviously a lot of interest in him, but the manager is speaking to him soon to get a feel for him and see what Conor wants.
“The type of player I’m talking about signing, Conor would be that type of player and he’s already our player, but it’s a conversation for him and the manager to have.”
Yerson Mosquera: The 22 year old has been on loan with FC Cincinnati since the end of January. He would probably have gone on loan last summer but that had to be put on hold when Wolves' attempts to sign Craig Dawson fell through.
The Colombian joined Wolves on a five-year deal from Atletico Nacional in the summer of 2021 for £4.5m. The right-footed centre back’s deal to Cincinnati was initially for six month but can be extended to the end of the MLS season in November.
The loan has given him the chance of regular football after a frustrating first 18 months at Molineux which have yielded just five minutes of senior action, partly because of injury. He seems to be making the most of his loan, having been a regular for Cincinnati and earning a call up for the Colombia senior squad this month.
Loaned to Cincinnati with the message of coming back to compete for a place in the first team, but a further loan would give him more regular football.
Dion Sanderson: The 23 year old is expected to move on this summer with Stoke City and Birmingham both interested. He impressed on loan at Birmingham last season when only a back injury forced him out of the running for their player of the year awards. Expected to move on this summer. Sunderland have also been linked with the Wolves academy graduate who is likely to be available for around £2m.