Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly ‘stepping up’ a bid to sign FC Porto’s Brazilian midfielder Otavio.
According to a report in the Sunday Mirror, the Old Gold are moving up a gear in their pursuit of the 25-year-old Liga NOS player.
That is due to the fact that Nuno Espirito Santo is reportedly ‘a big fan’ of the player that he gave his league debut to with Porto in 2016.
This season, Otavio has played predominantly as a right midfielder, however, he has also featured as a left-midfielder, central midfielder, attacking midfielder and a right-winger (per Transfermarkt).
As reported by the Sunday Mirror, though, Wolves may face competition from La Liga outfit Sevilla to secure the services of the Brazilian.
The 25-year-old currently has one year left on his contract with his current club and has a market value of £12.15m according to Transfermarkt.
TIF Thoughts…
When considering the midfielder’s statistics in the Liga NOS this season, it seems that Otavio would be well worth the effort to bring to Molineux.
This season, the Brazilian has picked up an impressive 7.34/10 average rating over 26 league appearances for Porto (per WhoScored), with Transfermarkt tying 10 assists to his name in all competitions.
Had he picked up the same average rating for Wolves in the Premier League this term, he would have been the club’s second-best performer behind Adama Traore (per WhoScored).
Would you be pleased if Wolves signed Otavio from FC Porto?Yes, he's a talent
No, he's not good enough
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With the midfielder having played out wide for the majority of the season, his strengths as listed by WhoScored include his tackling and his defensive contribution.
This could make Otavio the perfect fit for Wolves, as their only weakness listed by WhoScored is their ability to defend against attacks down the wing.
So, it seems that not only would the Brazilian add quality to Nuno Santo’s squad, but he would also improve an area which is a weakness for them.