Why Wolves signing Renato Sanches would be a great move
According to Calciomercato (h/t ESPN), Wolves want to sign Renato Sanches from Lille. The player has attracted their interest after regaining some form over the last season. He had to encounter some difficult spells at Bayern and Swansea before settling down in France.
Profile
Renato Sanches is a 23-year-old Portuguese midfielder who plays for Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille. A youth product of Benfica, he joined their academy in 2008. He spent two seasons in the academy before being promoted to the U-15s. His progress kept going as he was being promoted through the age groups.
In 2015, he was promoted to the Benfica ‘B’ side. However, his performances prompted the club to call him up to the senior team that season. He went on to make 35 appearances for the senior side before Bayern Munich came calling.
While everyone expected him to flourish in Germany after a great season at Benfica, it was quite the opposite. He could only muster 25 appearances across all competitions that season and was subsequently loaned out to Swansea City in the following season.
His struggles continued in England too, with Sanches not being able to reproduce his Benfica form. He managed even lesser game time, with a paltry 15 appearances to his name. After returning to Bayern, he was given his chances that season. In total, he made 53 appearances for the Bavarians, scoring twice and assisting thrice (source – Transfermarkt).
Eventually, he left on a permanent basis to Lille where he somewhat rediscovered his old form. Last season, he featured in 40 games, scoring 5 times. The youngster is quite experienced for his national side too, with 21 appearances to date. He also won the Euro 2016 for them.
Sanches can be a good signing for Wolves
At this point, it is no surprise to see another Portuguese player get linked to Wolves. The club have pretty much built an entire starting XI of them, with maybe just a few exceptions.
For a team that performs rather well in the Premier League, it is surprising that the club have only four recognised central midfielders. It was only recently that the club added Vitinha. The club could actually use someone like Sanches, who is a natural central midfielder.
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The youngster is quite a workhorse and is capable of contributing at both ends of the pitch. He will not only add to the numbers in the middle of the park but also add to the quality. With age and potential on his side, Wolves can benefit a lot from this deal.
