Why Wolves should reignite their interest in Otavio Monteiro
Back in June, a report from The Sunday Mirror (28/6; Page 66) had claimed that Wolves were interested in signing Brazilian attacking midfielder Otavio Monteiro from FC Porto. However, the rumours linking the 25-year-old with a move to the Black County outfit came to nothing and he ended up staying put at his current club.
Wolves eventually went on to enjoy a productive transfer window this past summer. The likes of Fabio Silva, Vitinho, Nelson Semedo, Ki-Jana Hoever and Fernando Marcal all came through the door at Molineux on the back of the sales of key players like Diogo Jota and Matt Doherty.
Profile
Otavio Monteiro started his footballing education at Santa Cruz in Brazil before completing his development at Internacional. He turned professional with the latter and was snapped up by Portuguese heavyweights Porto in the summer of 2014 after catching the eye of the club’s scouts with his rapid development in his homeland.
The 25-year-old initially featured for Porto’s B side in the second-tier and spent 18 months on loan at fellow top-flight side Vitoria Guimaraes. An impressive tally of 7 goals and 9 assists in 38 appearances for Vitoria paved the way for a first-team breakthrough at Porto during the 2016-17 campaign.
Monteiro only featured sporadically in Porto’s 2017-18 Primeira Liga triumph but has established himself as one of the mainstays over the past two seasons. The Brazilian enjoyed arguably his most productive campaign last term, contributing with 2 goals and 15 assists on 48 appearances across all competitions as Porto once again won the Primeira Liga.
The former Internacional star has registered 16 goals and 38 assists in 154 appearances for Porto across all competitions.
Monteiro could be a real bargain for Wolves in January
Raul Jimenez has once again been the key contributor for Wolves in front of goal this season after bagging an astonishing 27 goals in all competitions last term. The Mexican has scored 4 times in 8 league appearances for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side so far this season, with the likes of Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence also chipping in with some quality displays.
But with Adama Traore failing to replicate his heroics from the 2019-20 season and teenager Fabio Silva yet to acclimatise to life in the Premier League, Wolves ideally need to bring in a replacement for Diogo Jota when the market reopens in January. Jota’s departure to Liverpool has created a massive void in terms of depth and quality in the club’s attack and a replacement should, therefore, be high on Wolves’ agenda.
To put things into perspective, Otavio Monteiro might not be a like-to-like replacement for Jota at Wolves but the Brazilian’s versatility to operate in multiple positions across the midfield and the final third would hand a real boost to Nuno Santo’s dynamics.
The 25-year-old is capable of operating as a wide attacker on either flank and also through the middle in a No.10 role. He has also been utilised as a wing-back and a central midfielder to good effect at Porto. Hence, a potential deal for Otavio would offer Wolves some valuable depth and cover in several key areas of the pitch.
Verdict
Otavio Monteiro has backed up his strong domestic performances for Porto in the Primeira Liga with some quality displays in the Champions League and Europa League over the years. That clearly indicates he is ready to make the step up to a more competitive league moving forward.
Wolves couldn’t quite get a deal over the line for the 25-year-old in the summer but he’s yet to sign an extension on his current contract at Porto that expires in 2021.
Hence, the door remains open for the Midlands club to line him up on a cut-price deal in January while negotiating a pre-contract agreement could also be a feasible option. Either way, the Brazilian would be a very handy addition to Wolves’ squad as they look to challenge for a return to Europe.
