This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
According to the Daily Mail, Wolverhampton Wanderers are considering a move for Lille centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, or ‘Gabriel’ for short, as they seek defensive reinforcements following an injury to Willy Boly.
He could well be the perfect option for Nuno Santo, but it will come at a cost to one of their long-term aims.
What’s the word?
The report suggests that Wolves have taken a look at the 21-year-old on multiple occasions this season with a club scout recently attending Lille’s 3-0 win over Bordeaux and he could well be back to watch over the Brazilian this weekend when they head to Marseille.
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Gabriel has started seven matches in Ligue 1 this term, helping contribute to his team reaching third position.
Nuno’s need for a centre-back was apparent going into the season with Birmingham Live claiming that the Portuguese boss already wants to bring one in during the January transfer window.
Now that Boly has picked up a severe long-term injury, this is sure to only ramp up over the next couple of months.
Desperate times call for desperate measures
Gabriel is described as almost a like-for-like replacement for the 28-year-old as the same report calls the Brazil U20 international ‘physically strong’ and ‘comfortable on the ball,’ which is precisely the profile a Wolves defender needs.
Now that the club are desperate for reinforcements at the back, they will have to put their ambition to start building squad players from within on a temporary hold, meaning Max Kilman may have to wait longer for his opportunity.
The 6 foot 3 centre-back has won an average of 3.5 aerial duels per game while also registering a passing accuracy of 84.3%, which only goes to show that he would be a perfect fit in Nuno’s system.
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Wolves’ ownership have made it clear in the past that they would like to see more youngsters progress into the limelight, and that’s been evident in their financial backing of the academy in recent times, but only Morgan Gibbs-White has truly cemented a spot amongst the first-team.
Therefore, plumping for the Lille colossus will only hinder that goal, but it may well be something they have to do in the short-term due to Boly’s injury as it has left them in the lurch for the foreseeable future.