Gary O’Neil and Wolves find themselves in a difficult position in this month’s transfer window. Despite making an £80m profit last summer, the Midlands outfit still aren’t out of the woods when it comes to Financial Fair Play compliance, and that’s set to shape any business they do before the deadline.
There’s a chance that Wolves may sign targets on an initial loan with a later obligation or option to buy, deferring payments to next season’s accounts, or they could alternatively reinvest money they generate through outgoings. Either way, there will be an emphasis on finding bargain gems for now, rather than doing headline deals. And Wolves’ talent-spotters may have found one player who fits that bill.
Wolves one of six clubs keen on Rosario
According to Chris McKenna, a journalist for The Daily Mirror, Wolves are interested in Pablo Rosario at Nice. They’re one of a quartet of Premier League sides “keeping an eye on” the midfielder this month, alongside Fulham, West Ham and Brentford.
Wolves have been scouting the player “in recent months” and have clearly been impressed by what they’ve seen, but Rosario is also attracting interest from Germany in the form of Stuttgart and Werder Bremen, so they don’t exactly have a free run at the player.
Rosario offers possible Gomes solution amid Spurs interest
Rosario played for Feyenoord, Ajax and PSV during his time in youth football, but eventually left his homeland to join Nice in 2021. He’s four short of a century of appearances for the south-of-France club, having tacked 17 onto his tally this season. While he’s not considered undroppable by manager Francesco Farioli, he has been heavily involved, starting ten of their 18 Ligue 1 games so far this season.
While he’s a defensive midfielder by trade, Rosario has featured in four different positions this season, also filling in as a centre-back, right-back and more advanced midfielder. All that chopping and changing makes it hard to assess him statistically, but it’s the kind of versatility that makes him a manager’s dream and an asset to any squad.
It should also be noted, given that the majority of those roles are defensive in nature, that Nice have only conceded 11 league goals this season, fewer than any side in Europe’s top five leagues. Rosario deserves credit for the role he’s played in that achievement.
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Wolves are currently fielding interest in 2023 signing Joao Gomes, who’s caught the eye of Champions League-chasing Tottenham Hotspur and could be subject to a “substantial” bid. Given that Rosario is primarily a defensive shield, he could be a short-to-medium term replacement for the Brazilian in Gary O’Neil’s midfield, if indeed he does leave. In light of Wolves’ FFP concerns, it might be that the money from his potential sale is directly put towards this deal, though we’ll wait to see if Spurs match Wolves’ asking price first.