Wolves eye move for Porto defender Zaidu Sanusi | OneFootball

When the summer transfer window opens, Nuno Espirito Santo and Jeff Shi will be chomping at the bit to bring some added quality into the Wolves squad.

A plethora of injuries have wreaked havoc with the Molineux outfit, so bringing in more bodies should definitely be at the top of their agenda.

What’s the word?

Wolves have already been linked with the likes of Lucas Ocampos and Goncalo Guedes, but they now have a defensive name on their radar. According to Own Goal Nigeria, the Premier League side are interested in signing Porto left-back Zaidu Sanusi this summer.

The report suggests that they’ve singled him out as a target in the coming months and have already been in contact with the 23-year-old’s representatives.

Sanusi only signed for the Portuguese giants last year so it’s unclear whether Porto will be willing to sell. If they are, it may take as much as €20m (£17m) to prise him away.

Fixing a problem

Wolves have four left-backs on their books at the moment but none of them have been able to make their mark this term.

Ruben Vinagre spent the first half of the season on loan at Olympiacos and then the second half at Famalicao. As for Marcal, he has only played 14 times since being signed from Lyon due to calf and groin problems.

Rayan Ait-Nouri has been exposed defensively, while Jonny has also played very little football.

The Spaniard has been imperative for Wolves since they were promoted to the Premier League but he is now undergoing rehabiltation on his second anterior cruciate ligament injury in the space of a year. As a result, the flying wing-back is now set to spend up to a minimum of six months on the sidelines.

With that in mind, signing someone like Sanusi would go down well in the Midlands. At 23, he has room to grow and he is a very attack-minded defender. The Nigerian can play at left-back or further forward on the wing, which makes him perfect for Nuno’s preferred 3-4-3 system.

You only need to look at comparisons made throughout his career to understand the kind of player Wolves could be getting.

Speaking in September, the defender commented: “The left-back I look up to in the world is David Alaba of Bayern Munich, many, many people say that I play like Alaba but I want to be myself, I like him so much.”

Sanusi added: “Alaba can defend and attack and I’m like him. It’s very difficult for a left-back to attack and defend but Alaba does that very well.”

A quick and vibrant full-back, the Porto gem has plenty of desirable traits in his locker. So far this season, Sanusi has won 1.8 aerial duels which is impressive for a player in his position. He has also prevailed in 1.9 tackles per match and dazzled in forward areas, with 1.2 dribbles per game in Europe.

He showed just how imperious he is from a defensive point of view in the Champions League against Chelsea. Across two quarter-final matches, the defender won an eye-catching 13 ground duels.

Sanusi has already shown he can cope against the might of English football and he would be an astute acquisition for Wolves this summer. Molineux chief Shi must bring him to the Premier League.

AND in other news, Wolves should replace Nuno with 45 y/o “football expert”, he may be the next Mourinho…