BBC Sport contributor Dave Azzopardi believes the transfer interest in signing David Carmo indicates Wolves will be playing a back three next season.
With Romain Saiss leaving the Premier League club this summer, Bruno Lage will potentially be on the lookout for a new defensive option.
According to Portuguese outlet O Jogo, that player could well be the Braga centre-back, who has been identified as an ideal candidate to improve the club’s backline next term.
Reacting to the news on the Talking Wolves podcast, Azzopardi said the deal had left him ‘excited’, even if the transfer fee might be a little high – while he also pointed out that Carmo would probably fit in well if the club played with a back three.
He said: “I think if we go with someone like Carmo, I think it would indicate that Wolves maybe are going to be sticking with a back three. But I think with the sheer size and physicality, he’s somebody that could probably easily adapt to a back four as well, and this would be a very good centre-back option for Wolves to look at, I think.
“I think we’re going to have to pay a little bit of money; I think you’re going to be looking at least €20m to bring him in, but definitely an option that I would be very intrigued and excited to see further down the line as well.”
Should Wolves try to sign David Carmo this summer?
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TIF Thoughts on David Carmo and Wolves…
Last season, Lage tended to line up with a 3-4-3 formation, so it would make a lot of sense for him to stick with this plan even though he has lost Saiss as an option.
If that is the case, Carmo certainly looks like he could be a good fit for Wolves next term. Indeed, in a report by Breaking the Lines, he was described as ‘typically playing’ in a back three and suiting the system due to his ‘ability to dribble forward and progress the ball through the lines with pinpoint passes’.
While Azzopardi seems to be a little concerned about the potential transfer fee he may require to move – according to The Sun, he has a £27m release clause, but Braga are open to accepting an offer of around £20m – it seems as though the defender may be worth pushing the boat out for, especially if he can also be adaptable enough to play in a back four, should Lage deviate from the expected plan.