Wolverhampton Wanderers achieved what they were trying to do after appointing Vitor Pereira as manager in December 2024. Avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Old Gold has excellent shapes as he has won the previous four league matches and is further apart from the drop zone in the process.
Pereira is thinking exactly how to strengthen his team over the 2025/26 season ahead of the summer transfer window. There’s no doubt he has a team that can push towards the top half of the league table next season, but that may depend on whether he can maintain some key players.
Will Matheus Cunha leave in the summer? In that case, managers may have to spend a lot of time finding the right alternative.
During the January transfer period, Perriera brought in players such as Emmanuel Agbado, Marshall Munetti and Naserziga. Two of these signatures are defenders and appear to be targeting another centre-back when Molineux’s side finally opens in a few months.
Wolves want to sign League 1 defender
According to French news outlet Foot Mercato, AJ Orchiar’s defender Clement AKPA has begun to attract much attention after enjoying a great campaign on the League One side.
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The Wolves are one of the most enthusiastic teams for Ivory Coast International, and have also monitored recent performances from Everton, Eintro Hat Frankfurt, Hoffenheim and VFB Stuttgart.
The asking price has not been stated yet, but given their circumstances, Auxerre cannot resist a team that makes the right offer to players.
Old Gold has had many successes on top flights in France since being promoted to the Premier League in 2018.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Boubacar Traore moved from France on a permanent deal in the summer of 2023, with Mario Remina and Pablo Saravia linked to the club in January 2023.
Perhaps the best signature from France was that of Rayan Ait Nouri, especially given the impact the defenders had in the Midlands.
Rayan Ait-Nouri wolf statistics
The Wolves signed Ait-Nouri from Angers in a permanent deal ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, following the success of Loneu’s spell at Molyneu.
“He proved last season that he was a very talented player and had a lot of potential. I thought he was doing well towards the end of the season,” said Wolf Technical Director Scott Sellers.
In fact, the Algerians continue to compete in more than 150 competitively for the wolves, registering 28 target contributions in the process. It’s not the total left-back, but that’s true.
Ait-Nouri is extremely influential for wolves in the Premier League this quarter. His 10-goal contributions – four goals and six assists – are his best in the club’s single campaign and show his effectiveness in the final third.
The 23-year-old also scored 55% of his duels contested on top flights, creating 2.5 tackles and recovering 4.2 balls per game. His all-purpose ability allowed him to contribute whether or not the wolves own it.
Rayan Ait-Nouri’s career statistics in wolves | |||
|---|---|---|---|
season | game | the goal | assist |
2023/24 | 38 | 3 | 4 |
2022/23 | 27 | 2 | 1 |
2021/22 | 27 | 1 | 4 |
2020/21 | twenty four | 1 | 1 |
Via TransferMarkt | |||
Ait-Nouri has attracted interest from elsewhere for these impressive displays, and it will not take long for the club to decide to win cash.
Can AKPA be the next version of the current older Gold Star? A player with great potential that could become a key player for the club?
Why Wolves Want to Sign Clement AKPA
AKPA only missed three Auxerre League 1 games this season in its first season on top flight after winning League 2 in 2023/24.
The club has exceeded expectations, currently sitting 11th at the table, beating Marseille twice, holding champion PSG to a 0-0 draw in the first half of the season.
The AKPA has played a major role in this success throughout the current season. In League One, the 23-year-old defender was a rock behind him. Not only did he score 64% of his full duel in the league this semester, but the centre back also lost just eight possessions while he made two tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game for Auxerre.
Compared to his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, AKPA’s defensive qualities are further highlighted.
In fact, he ranks in the top 8% (2.2), top 17%, intercepts (1.47) and top 18% (1.6) in blocks per 90 (1.6) over the past 365 days of the club.
Elsewhere, the youngsters rank in the top 15% in progressive carry per 90 (1.08) when compared to next to the peer, and while excelling at the centre of the defense, the AKPA proves that they can easily pull the ball out of their own half to launch an offense.
French journalist Sebastian Dennis welcomed players as “defensive revelation” during Auxerre’s great season.
The possibility is that AIT-Nouri could be sold to secure a big profit from the original Angel Starlet. If so, Pereira has the funds to spend the summer, targeting the top half finishes in the Premier League.
AKPA could potentially become AIT-Nouri 2.0 if it moves from League 1 to the Premier League in the coming months.
He still has to hit peaks, but exposure in one of the best leagues in the world allows the defender to move from strength to strength.
Many depend on the fees that auxerre’s demand for one of their respected assets depends on, but if Pereira makes a decent offer, he can snap him faster and faster.
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