Emmanuel Agbadou: The Rise of Wolves’ Ivorian Defender | OneFootball

Emmanuel Agbadou: The Story of Wolves’ Rising Star Under Vitor Pereira

When Vítor Pereira took charge on December 19, Wolverhampton Wanderers sat 19th in the Premier League table, five points away from safety. Fast-forward three months, and Wolves find themselves in 17th place, nine points clear of the relegation zone.

With nine matches left, Wolves seem all but guaranteed to avoid the drop and continue their near-decade-long spell in England’s top-flight. There have been plenty of reasons behind Wolves’ turnaround, but one of them has evidently been the emergence of Emmanuel Agbadou in central defense.

Born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Badobre Emmanuel Elysee Djedje Agbadou developed at the youth ranks of San Pédro. He didn’t leave his homeland until 2019, shortly after turning 22, when he made the move to Tunisian club US Monastir. After just one year in the Maghreb region, Agbadou took his talents to Europe and joined Belgian side KAS Eupen.

It wasn’t a seamless start for Agbadou, who had to adjust to his new surroundings and cope with a worldwide pandemic, but eventually, he became a vital cog in central defense for the Pandas, scoring 6 goals and 2 assists in 64 appearances.

Photo: IMAGO

“Agbadou is the kind of player who came to the Belgian league as a raw talent,” stated ex-German international Andreas Beck, who played alongside Agbadou at Eupen in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons. “If he came to the Bundesliga at that age, he wouldn’t make it because you have to be more structured. You could see that he had so much quality and talent, but he wasn’t as technically and tactically skilled as he is today.”

He needed to go to an intermediate league like Belgium in order to compete, to adjust to the cold winters, and to be molded by the pressure. Similarly to my former Hoffenheim teammate Roberto Firmino, he needed this first year for his talents to shine through, to play up to his strengths and reduce these mistakes. After 1-2 years, I was saying that Agbadou has to go to the Bundesliga,” added Beck.

Rather than go to the Bundesliga, Agbadou made the move to Ligue 1 and joined Reims in the summer of 2022. Agbadou excelled at Reims and emerged as one of the finest central defenders in France, capable of eating up ground, holding his own in physical battles, and helping Reims hold the high line.

His baptism of fire came on January 29, 2023 at the Parc de Princes, facing off against reigning Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain. Going up against Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, Agbadou thrived at the back with five tackles, four interceptions, three tackles, and he also won five out of seven ground duels as Reims held on for a point in Paris.

Bit by bit, Agbadou was able to make a name for himself and attract the interest of various clubs, but it was Wolves who won the race for him in the January 2025 window. Wolves completed a double swoop and signed Agbadou for €20 million as well as his Zimbabwean teammate Marshall Munetsi for €18 million, and it’s proving to be money well spent.

Rather than gradually easing him into the side, Pereira has immediately inserted himself into the back three. The 27-year-old has emerged as the bedrock of defense, either on the left side or the middle of the back three. Agbadou’s speed and awareness allows him to work as the spare man, capable of shifting across the pitch and sweeping up danger when his other two defenders are occupied.

Photo: IMAGO

He has formed a stalwart trio alongside Matt Doherty and Toti Gomes, providing cover and capable of sprinting back and putting in a last-ditch tackle. He constantly has his head on a swivel and is alert to the danger, often being left on an island with ample space to cover. His alertness and overall reading of the game enables him to remain composed and not snatch at chances, instead staying on his feet and keeping his opponent in custody.

Furthermore, he has the ability to step out of the press, dribble forward, and break the lines with his long passes. When his midfielders are being overwhelmed with man-marking, Agbadou is more than capable of breaking the lines and moving possession from the first to the final third. He’s racking up 0.73 successful take-ons per 90, putting him in the 98th percentile for center backs, per FBRef.

It’s little surprise that, out of all of his nine appearances for Wolves, all of them have been starts. And it’s little surprise that, when Agbadou was unavailable, Wolves ended up losing 2-1 to Fulham at Molineux on February 25. Alongside Leny Yoro, William Saliba, and Abdukadir Khusanov, Agbadou is yet another defensive talent who has thrived since making the move across the English Channel.

Agbadou’s superb reading of the game and poise allows Wolves players to engage in high pressing and win the ball up in more advanced areas, knowing that their Ivorian brick wall is available to intercept the danger. He has the positional nous and in-game intelligence to put out fires and deal with dangerous balls into the penalty area, and he has the physical prowess and recovery pace to manhandle opponents and ensure that, even if Wolves do get caught out, he can deal with the threat.

It hasn’t been easy, but Wolves look set for an eighth consecutive season in the top-flight. With newly promoted sides Southampton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City showing no signs of improvement, Wolves are headed for another escape from relegation, and it’s thanks in large part to their Ligue 1 signings, be that Agbadou, Munetsi, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, or Rayan Aït-Nouri.

As Wolves seek to build on their early momentum and replenish their squad in the summer window, there’s reason to believe that Pereira and Sporting Director Matt Hobbs will head to the French transfer market and add even more Ligue 1 players to their team.