Presenter Dave Azzopardi has been left excited after hearing new Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui will meet potential new transfers before signing them.
With the World Cup taking place, plenty of eyes will be on Qatar over the next month or so. For instance, supporters of the Premier League club may be keeping track of the fitness and performances of Mexico forward Raul Jimenez.
Back home, however, some big changes behind the scenes have been going on. Not only has Lopetegui been appointed manager, but former technical director Scott Sellars has left the club, with Wolves promoting Matt Hobbs to the role of sporting director.
In a recent interview, Hobbs spoke about Lopetegui’s transfer strategy and explained: “Julen also won’t sign a player he hasn’t spoken to, which is something we have wanted for a while.”
While talking about this development on the Talking Wolves podcast, Azzopardi seemed happy about this, as he said: “Another thing he [Hobbs] said is that Lopetegui will not sign a player that he has not spoken to.
“So, before Wolves say, ‘yes, it’s a done deal’, Lopetegui wants to meet the player in person, or whether that be over a Zoom meeting, he wants to feel for them as a person as well, which I think is a huge boost.”
TIF Thoughts on Wolves…
It certainly makes a lot of sense to know a player’s personality before signing them. After all, it doesn’t matter how good they might be – if they are a bad fit, they may never fulfil their potential.
It’s unclear if this is what former boss Bruno Lage did, though Hobbs’ comments certainly imply this.
One of Lage’s summer signings, Goncalo Guedes, has already drawn criticism for his lack of work rate, while he was recently slammed in the media and by his own fans for walking in a Premier League game.
This could potentially signify a poor attitude from the player, and perhaps such issues could have been spotted in a one-to-one meeting in person before any deal was complete.
Regardless, it’s certainly a good thing for the future to show such diligence over any transfers, so it’s easy to see why Azzopardi seems so happy about Lopetegui’s strategy.
Do you like this transfer plan at Wolves?
Yes
No
