Journalist Joe Edwards has labelled Wolves’ need for a centre-half this summer as the biggest “position to prioritise” ahead of Bruno Lage’s first season with the club.
Lage was announced as Nuno Espirito Santo’s replacement last week and the Express and Star journalist has already advised the former Benfica manager where his new side are vulnerable.
Wolves usually operated in a three-at-the-back formation under Nuno, but with Edwards speculating that Lage could come in and use a back four, he has concerns over whether Conor Coady is the best man to operate in that system.
Speaking on the Express and Star YouTube channel, Edwards had this to say:
“Defending set-pieces was a glaring weakness last season. Wolves were woeful at set-pieces, a glaring weakness, just not enough height, I don’t think, at the back. Coady, obviously, not the tallest; [Romain] Saiss has been another that’s been converted from a midfielder. I think they need a tall, commanding centre-half with a bit of experience behind him, I know they don’t grow on trees.
“For me, that is the big position to prioritise and with Lage coming in, [it will] be interesting to see how he sees Conor Coady and what he thinks of him.
“Of course, he is Wolves’ leader, he’s Wolves’ captain, now a fantastic ambassador for the club, and a very good player as well. I mean, let’s not do him a disservice, he’s with England at the Euros for a reason. But is he quite right for a back four, long-term? These are questions that Lage really kind of needs to answer.”
TIF Thoughts on Wolves’ need for a centre-back…
Having performed so well in a back three under their former manager and still having a large amount of the players who helped Wolves reach an FA Cup semi-final and qualify for the Europa League, it seems odd that Lage could come in and completely change the system.
However, if Coady isn’t deemed suitable by the new manager, they could cash in on the England international. As he is currently away with the England national team at Euro 2020, his stock could be nearest to its peak, and at the £22.5million he is valued at by TransferMarkt, Wolves could reinvest a sale into new centre-halves and strengthen their backline.
Whether Coady is worth sacrificing is for Lage to work out as he gets to grips at Molineux over the coming months.