Wolves would only increase their wage bill by signing Josip Vukovic
According to talkSPORT, Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Croatian midfielder Josip Vukovic from Portuguese club Maritimo, with Chelsea, Watford and Leicester City also keeping tabs on the 26-year-old.
Vukovic has been a roaring success in the Primeira Liga for Maritimo since his move from Olimpik Donetsk last summer. The former Croatian youth international has made a total of 19 league appearances for Maritimo and has caught the eye with his tough-tackling nature.
A youth product of the famous Croatian club Hajduk Split, Vukovic played for his boyhood club, RNK Split, Istra 1961 and Dugopolje in his homeland before signing for Ukrainian club Olimpik Donetsk. Having impressed on his stint at Ukraine, the 26-year-old was snapped up by Maritimo and he hasn’t looked back since then.
Standing at 6ft. with a stocky frame, Vukovic is essentially a defensive midfielder by trade. His main attributes are his flawless passing and intelligent distribution, which allow him to dictate the tempo of the game in the middle of the park, whilst his work-rate off the ball and ability to win possession back for his team make him a dangerous combative presence in the middle.
The Croatian boasts of a pass success percentage of 79.2 in the Portuguese league, including 3.1 long balls, 1.1 aerial duels, 1.8 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game, figures which are enough to show that he is a useful combative midfielder with well-rounded attributes.
Now, it would be unfair to question the talent or the potential of Vukovic but the Wolves’ links with the player should come as a bit of surprise to the fans at Molineux. Nuno Espirito Santo is already well-stocked in the midfield department, with the likes of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho starting regularly in the Premier League.
Leander Dendoncker has also proven his worth in recent weeks, which means his loan deal from Anderlecht is likely to be made permanent in the summer, while Romain Saiss has also signed a new long-term contract at Molineux. The manager also has the option of calling upon the services of the young and dazzling Morgan Gibbs-White as per the need of the hour.
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On the contrary, Wolves can certainly do with another top-quality striker in their squad, whilst a back-up at right-wing back and a replacement for the misfiring Adama Traore should be on the priority list of the manager. Signing another defensive midfielder would make little sense and the move would only increase the club’s wage bills. That said, Wolves should forget about investing in Josip Vukovic and look at other areas of the squad which are in need of investment.
