Wolves are more likely to sign Che Adams than Danny Ings or Hugo Ekitike

GiveMeSport

·19 January 2024

Wolves are more likely to sign Che Adams than Danny Ings or Hugo Ekitike

Highlights

Wolverhampton Wanderers are considering signing a new striker during the 2024 winter window to bolster their attacking options at Molineux.
Wolves have already had success in front of goal this season, but there is a lack of quality depth behind Gary O'Neil's first-choice attackers.
A loan move for Southampton's Che Adams may be more realistic than signing West Ham United's Danny Ings or Paris Saint-Germain's Hugo Ekitike due to Wanderers' need to comply with the Premier League's profit and sustainability regulations.

Wolverhampton Wanderers may have a better chance of signing Southampton striker Che Adams than West Ham United’s Danny Ings and Paris Saint-Germain’s Hugo Ekitike during the 2024 winter window, as transfer insider Dean Jones considers a move for a centre-forward at Molineux.

Wolves have enjoyed a productive start to the 2023/24 campaign under Gary O’Neil but require another senior No. 9 option after recent developments in the market.

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Like many of their Premier League counterparts, Wanderers are keen to abide by the top-flight’s profit and sustainability rules and are limited to how much they can spend this month. The Black Country outfit may have to consider a loan move before the window’s 1st February deadline to complement O’Neil’s squad and give him the best chance of success at Molineux.

Wolves weighing up striker options this winter

During the 2023 summer transfer window, many Wolves fans felt they desperately needed a striker, having finished bottom of the Premier League’s goalscoring charts for the 2022/23 season, hitting the back of the net just 31 times. Fast forward to January 2024, and O’Neil’s side have already hit 30 goals during the 2023/24 campaign, one goal shy of the previous season’s final tally.

Hwang Hee-chan, Matheus Cunha, Pedro Neto and Pablo Sarabia have combined in the final third to give Wolves more of an attacking threat in the crucial moments. The success is made all the more remarkable given Wolves’ lack of spending during the summer window, having generated £140m in player sales to avoid breaching profit and sustainability regulations.

However, O’Neil will be aware of a severe drop-off in quality behind his first-choice attackers, with youngster Nathan Fraser representing the only No. 9 with any first-team experience at the club behind Cunha. That is because both Sasa Kalajdzic and Fabio Silva have been allowed to leave Molineux for Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers, respectively, on loan until the end of the 2023/24 season.

Therefore, it’s unsurprising that Wolves are considering temporarily bringing in a striker until the campaign's conclusion. According to Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth, the Black Country outfit are one of three Premier League clubs interested in Southampton’s Adams. Moves for Ekitike and Ings are also being considered.

Jones has recently told GIVEMESPORT (11th January) that Wolves will be concerned about signing Ings, given his reported wages worth close to £150,000 per week. The next few weeks will prove decisive in Wanderers’ hunt for a striker as O’Neil looks for crucial cover behind Cunha.

Dean Jones - Wolves move for Adams might be ‘a bit more suitable’ at the moment

Jones hints that a Wolves move for Adams could be more realistic than Ekitike and Ings, given the financials surrounding the potential deals. The transfer insider claims that Wanderers can only complete a loan move for the 27-year-old this winter. Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

“Ekitike has been on Wolves’ radar because he has more versatility than other forwards mentioned. We also have to consider the financials around them bringing in players. Ings is on such hefty personal terms at West Ham that it makes me wonder if it genuinely becomes possible, and Adams might just be a bit more suitable at this specific moment. I think that’s what they are trying to understand right now. They can only really do a loan deal.”

Wolves transfer news, including claim on Joao Gomes’ future

Unsurprisingly, Wolves are yet to make their first signing of the 2024 winter transfer window. They are unlikely to conduct much business throughout the month. Despite recent financial turmoil, O’Neil hopes to be backed with suitable signings without upsetting the dressing room harmony he has created around the club. However, Wolves will also hope they aren’t forced into selling their best players this winter.

According to Gavea News, Wanderers midfielder Joao Gomes is ‘attracting firm interest’ from elsewhere in the Premier League, especially from Tottenham Hotspur. The report states that the north London outfit are ‘preparing a substantial proposal’ to prise him away from Molineux, with an offer of around £30m expected. The website also states that, in the event of Gomes’ sale, Flamengo will be entitled to 10% of the transfer fee, having sold him to Wanderers in January 2023.

Meanwhile, Haber Turk has claimed Wolves have had a bid rejected for Besiktas forward Semih Kilicsoy. The 18-year-old has captured the attention of scouts across Europe, but it’s the West Midlands outfit who have made a play for his signature. It’s unknown as to whether Wolves will make another offer for the Turkey U19 international.