With the full effect of the new manager bounce well underway at Wolverhampton Wanderers, the January transfer window could quickly stop Vitor Pereira in his tracks as Matheus Cunha and one other star man reportedly threaten to steal the spotlight.
Wolves transfer news
All Pereira needs to do is ask the man he succeeded about just how difficult it is to keep hold of star players in the Premier League. Gary O’Neil’s side were flying last season, but in came the vultures disguised as West Ham United and Chelsea to swoop in and take Max Kilman and then Pedro Neto. Suffering as a result, O’Neil quickly found himself out of a job and Wolves found themselves in a relegation scrap.
Since then, of course, Pereira has arrived to instantly benefit from a classic new manager bounce that he’ll be desperate to turn permanent following victories over Leicester City and Manchester United as well as a late draw against Tottenham Hotspur.
That turn of form may yet prove to be somewhat costly, however, with the likes of Manchester United now reportedly circling around Cunha. The in-form Brazilian has been Wolves’ brightest sparks and a Player of the Season candidate so far – making it more important than ever that the Midlands club keep hold of him. But he’s not the only one attracting attention on that front.
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Pereira is looking to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window.
According to journalist Ahmed Aljadi, as relayed by Molineux News, Saudi Arabian club and Pereira’s former side Al Shabab are in negotiations to sign Mario Lemina, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season.
The £45,000-a-week midfielder was, of course, stripped of the captaincy after he found himself at the centre of some unsavoury scenes in the aftermath of defeat against West Ham and is yet to feature under Pereira as a result of injury. Like many have done so far, he will be hoping to wipe the slate clean under a new manager when he returns to full fitness.
“Selfless” Lemina offers crucial experience
After losing both Neto and Kilman last summer, Wolves can ill-afford to lose Lemina – particularly if it is to be as a free agent and a deal that they will not profit from during the summer. Even if the former Fulham man does not find a way to break up the early Pereira midfield partnership between Andre and Joao Gomes, Wolves could certainly do with the depth and experience that he provides.
O’Neil, despite how things ended, was full of praise for Lemina not so long ago. The former Wolves manager told reporters as relayed by The Express and Star last March: “I’ve spoken to Mario quite a bit about it. I know he can do both and I know maybe he’d prefer to do more of one than the other, but he understands at times the team will need him to do the other things.
“He’s an incredibly selfless guy who will sacrifice himself. If I told him he’s going to play somewhere where he might only get a 4/10 in the paper tomorrow, but we’re going to win the game, he would definitely do that for us.”
