Wolves have found themselves in a relegation battle this season, already losing 11 games in their opening 19 Premier League fixtures, only winning four times thus far.
Having conceded the joint most goals in the division so far this season, with 42 goals shipped in 19 games (joint with Leicester), it’s clear Wolves need defensive reinforcement if they want to survive.
Max Kilman was sold in the summer, joining West Ham for a fee of around £40m. Alongside this, Wolves have also lost Yerson Mosquera to injury, leaving them light at the back, which could see investment in this area during the January window.
Wolves looking at new defender
According to Sky Sports earlier this week, Lens defender, Kevin Danso, is Wolves’ top centre-back target in the January transfer window. The club is looking to support new manager, Vitor Pereira, as much as they can ahead of the second half of the campaign, looking to strengthen their defence as a priority area.
The 26-year-old did spend some time in England previously, with a loan spell at Southampton in the 2019/20 season, making just ten appearances for the club, providing one assist, contributing to three clean sheets and totalling 602 minutes on the field.
Danso has made 12 appearances so far this season for Lens, contributing to five clean sheets in his 1,080 minutes. The addition of the centre-half would be a welcome sight for Wolves fans, who are still hoping for an ample replacement for their 2023/24 club captain.
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Danso vs Kilman comparison
Kilman made 44 appearances for Wolves last season, scoring two goals, providing one assist, and contributing to eight clean sheets. Not only this, but the 27-year-old was also the club captain, making it an even bigger loss.
Coincidentally, via FBref’s “similar players” feature, the closest comparison to Kilman’s profile is Danso, who has been labelled as “superb” by Alex Barker from The Athletic.
Progressive Carries
0.60
0.82
Progressive Passes
3.60
4.01
Passes Attempted
62.7
51.4
Pass Completion %
85.2%
86.1%
Passes into Final Third
3.80
3.46
Tackles
1.60
0.88
Blocks
2.30
1.70
Interceptions
1.71
1.29
Aerial Duels Won
3.30
2.91
As you can see when comparing the two defenders’ underlying numbers this season, Kilman has shown slightly more ability to progress play with both his carrying and passing ability. He has also shown slightly more accuracy in his passing, completing more of his passes successfully, albeit with fewer attempted per 90.
But it is actually Danso who is averaging more defensive actions per 90, winning more tackles, making more blocks, more interceptions, and even winning more aerial duels, with a whopping 3.30 per 90.
Danso could be exactly what Pereira needs in order to guide Wolves away from the relegation zone, after earning seven points from their last three games.
These results have helped Wolves climb to 17th place, but sitting just one point above Ipswich, January recruitment could be the key to staying there.
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1 ByKelan SarsonDec 31, 2024