Wolves ‘particularly interested’ in signing – Boost for PL side as director says player will be sold in ‘two weeks’

Wolverhampton Wanderers are keen on signing Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Nico Elvedi and this has been reported in Germany over the last few weeks.

Earlier this week, Kicker backed up the English club’s interest in the defender. Gladbach head of football Nils Schmadtke had admitted the door will not be closed, and the 26-year-old can leave.

Today’s Rheinische Post states Wolves are ‘particularly interested’ in signing the centre-back.

On Wednesday, the Premier League side appointed Gary O’Neil as their new manager, a day after parting ways with Julen Lopetegui. This didn’t seem to impact the club’s pursuit of Elvedi.

The Switzerland international’s deal expires in 2024 and he’s informed his employer about his desire to change clubs.

Gladbach managing director Roland Virkus believes the player won’t be at the club beyond this window. He has also admitted talks are ongoing to sell Elvedi.

“We are in talks with clubs. I can’t give a time window, but there will definitely be a decision in the next two weeks. I can’t rule out any scenario, but ultimately, I think there will be an agreement,” he told Rheinische Post.

After Schmadtke opened the door earlier, Virkus’ latest comments would come as a massive boost for Wolves in the chase for Elvedi.

Rheinische Post add Elvedi’s sale could help Gladbach to sign a new striker.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers news from BirminghamLive as our Wolves reporter Mike Baggaley looks at the immediate challenge for new manager Gary O’Neil

Gary O’Neil is the new Wolves manager, his appointment confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after Julen Lopetegui’s departure was announced.

Losing Lopetegui at this stage is to say the least unfortunate as O’Neil has little time to prepare the team for their opening game of the new Premier League season at Manchester United on Monday. That’s going to be a challenge for the 40-year-old former Bournemouth manager who no doubt has a million and one things to deal with as he looks to build on the impressive job he did with the Cherries last season. Here’s just ten to start with….

Put an arm round Fabio Silva: The stat about Wolves being the lowest scorers in the Premier League last season has been repeated more times than the 31 goals they actually scored. So, something has to be done to improve that record and spare us all having to read the line again.

What gives us hope this can change? Well, Fabio Silva is back after spending last season out on loan. He’s looked the real deal over the last two friendlies and, whether he scores or not, he lifts the crowd every time he gets the ball. He said after the Luton friendly last week that he wasn’t sure if he would still be here when the transfer window closes. That might not be in the head coach’s control but he can do his bit by making him feel wanted.

Emphasise the difference with Julen Lopetegui : The new boss is going to hear a lot about how Wolves have just lost an elite level coach. This is true but the fact of the matter is they have lost an elite level coach who didn’t actually want to be here.

Gary O’Neil can emphasise the positives by talking about his pride in getting the job. Expect some of that in his first press conference on Friday afternoon.

There’s also a similarity with Lopetegui. The former Porto, Spain, Sevilla and Real Madrid coach did a brilliant job in guiding Wolves to Premier League safety last season but so did O’Neil in keeping Bournemouth in the top flight.

Wrap your centre halves in cotton wool: Surely the biggest weakness in the squad right now is the lack of cover at centre back following the sales of Nathan Collins, Dion Sanderson and Conor Coady. We can expect a signing but in the meantime, Craig Dawson, Max Kilman and Toti have to be handled with care. While the manager is at it, it’s probably best to block all calls from Napoli.

Sort out the left back spot: Rayan Ait-Nouri seemed to have nudged ahead in the race for a place in the league side with his performances over the last couple of friendlies. However, he has been one of the players linked with a move away while Wolves have shown an interest in West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell.

Can Wolves bring in Cresswell for his top flight experience while still benefitting from the potential of Ait-Nouri and Hugo Bueno, with Toti as further cover? We are about to find out.

Confirm the coaching staff: This is bound to be high on the agenda anyway, possibly the next official announcement due from the club. West Ham’s Mark Robson and Bournemouth’s Tim Jenkins are among the coaches wanted to form part of O’Neil’s new management staff.

Take heart from the Stade Rennais game: Let’s face it, losing Lopetegui was a kick in the teeth. However, his departure on Tuesday evening came just three days after Wolves had given their fans more to cheer about than at any time during the summer as they put in a fine performance in the 3-1 friendly win over Stade Rennais.

Ok, it was only a friendly but Wolves played some great stuff. Would the players have already known Lopetegui was on his way? That has to be a possibility but they still produced 90 minutes full of attacking, inventive, entertaining football.

Draw on experience already in the club : The relationship with sporting director Matt Hobbs will be important and O’Neil has made a good start on that one by impressing in his interview, as Hobbs made clear when the appointment was announced on Tuesday.

There is also experience in the club of steadying the ship after taking over in an unpromising position. Pathways manager Steve Davis and under-21s head coach James Collins did just that last season when they took caretaker charge after Bruno Lage’s departure.

Establish what’s left in the budget: It would be one hell of an ‘up yours’ to Julen Lopetegui if, having lost the manager because of the spending policy, chairman Jeff Shi produced £50m to sign all three of Alex Scott, Nico Elvedi and an experienced striker. The gesture would be so magnificent that surely no FFP court in the land would convict.

That probably isn’t going to happen but there could still be enough for a signing or two, maybe including loan deals, to plug gaps in the squad by the end of August.

Create a siege mentality: This week’s drama has given every pundit out there the chance to pontificate on Wolves – and yes, I’m aware of the irony while writing this list – with plenty saying the club could be in trouble next season.

The bookies seem to have gone along with that, responding to Lopetegui’s exit by making Wolves third favourites for relegation. A tough set of opening fixtures, not least opening up at Manchester United, presents another challenge for the new manager.

Bring it on! Let everyone else write Wolves off while O’Neil, staff, players and fans show the club’s season hasn’t actually ended the week before it officially begins.

Don’t waste time reading this list: Are you kidding? The first Premier League game is on Monday! Reading this stuff from journalists is the last thing Gary O’Neil should be spending his time with. Good luck to him though, we can’t wait for the new season and to hopefully see him prove a few people wrong.