When Jeff Shi opened his cheque book and threw the best part of £27m at Nelson Semedo last summer, it was a landmark addition.
Not often do you see a club like Wolves prising away one of the mainstays of Barcelona.
However, the Spanish outfit sold Nuno Santo and co a dream. The fact of the matter is that Semedo has not really been worth the money.
An enigmatic and inconsistent character, the Portugal international has struggled with the fast-paced nature of Premier League football.
We shouldn’t be surprised though. When Barcelona were decimated 8-2 by Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League, Semedo was one of the biggest culprits. He was dribbled past on three occasions, made an error that led to a shot and completed just one tackle all night.
That has been a trend to follow the full-back around English football.
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He was given a torrid night by Nicolas Pepe back in February when Wolves beat Arsenal while Lucas Digne got the better of him time and time again when Everton came to Molineux.
It’s safe to say that he’s not been the same consistent figure that Matt Doherty was in the Midlands.
With that in mind, finding someone who can cover and challenge the former Barcelona defender would be useful.
According to ESPN, Wolves are leading the race to sign Middlesbrough’s Djed Spence in a potential £5m deal.
He’d be perfect for a number of reasons, not just because he’s still particularly young at the age of 20 but also because he can play in a variety of positions.
Not only can Spence play as a full-back but like Semedo, he’s adept in more attacking roles on the right-hand side.
He is exquisite with the ball at his feet, registering 0.8 dribbles per game this term while he can also tackle, registering 0.8 successful challenges per match.
Perhaps the biggest indication of his qualities comes courtesy of Neil Warnock.
The Boro boss said earlier this term: “If you look at one or two of the full-backs that are around now – the lad at Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the lad at Manchester United from Palace (Aaron Wan-Bissaka) – they are all the same type as Djed. He does have enormous ability, and when you’ve got ability like that it’s criminal if you don’t get to the very top.”
Once dubbed “exceptional” by Jonathan Woodgate too, there is clearly a lot of promise to Spence’s game.
Adept defensively and energetic going forward, he epitomises what Nuno requires from his full-backs.
Wolves may have Ki-Jana Hoever in their ranks but the Middlesbrough defender has more experience to his name and looks ready for first-team football at a higher level.
Hoever, on the other hand, needs a bit of a leg up before he becomes a regular in the Wolves team and challenges Semedo. As such, Spence would be a valuable addition for the Old Gold.
AND in other news, Imagine him & Traore: Wolves must sign “silky” 18-goal star, he’s a “delight to watch”…