After such a torrid campaign by their high standards, this will be a crucial summer for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Fail to spend wisely again, and they wave farewell to any chance of securing European football for another year.
What’s the word?
A key area of recruitment will be in attack, where the likes of Douglas Costa and Goncalo Guedes have already been linked.
However, another player they should consider bringing to Molineux when the transfer window opens is West Brom’s Matheus Pereira.
The creative midfielder has been linked with their Midland rivals Aston Villa in the last week but there is a quiet murmur of a move to Wolves lingering around with a number of other Premier League clubs interested.
Pereira has duel Brazilian-Portuguese citizenship and because of Nuno Espirito Santo’s tendency to acquire players hailing from Portugal, and Kevin Phillips was asked whether he might sign for Wolves when speaking to West Brom News.
“He’d be a brave person to go to Wolves, wouldn’t he? All that hard work he’s done at West Brom would be undone in an instant,” Phillips began.
“Pereira will get linked with other clubs because if they go down, it’s just a natural thing that happens and I’m sure there will be a few clubs who are interested. With his form, if he continues to be good between now and the end of the season, that will alert a few clubs.
“Local clubs will probably look at him as there wouldn’t be much hassle in terms of relocation. There’s a Portuguese connection at Wolves but I wouldn’t want to see that happen at all,” the former England striker concluded.
Wolves must do all they can
Phillips might not like the idea of Pereira crossing the divide in the Midlands but it’s hard to feel that he wouldn’t be an exceptional signing for the Old Gold.
A creative genius with the ability to score goals on a regular basis, the Brazilian often defies description. Last season, only Kevin De Bruyne registered more assists (20) in English football than Pereira (16).
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Meanwhile, during the 2020/21 campaign, only Harry Kane (61%) has contributed to a higher percentage of his team’s goals than the Albion maestro (48%).
It may have taken Pereira a little while to get going in the Premier League but, after a stellar term in the Championship where he registered 24 goal involvements, he has now come alive in the top flight. This season the diminutive attacker has scored nine goals, the best haul of his career in a single campaign, taking his Baggies tally to 18. On top of that, the 24-year-old has five assists to his name.
Possessing the ability to play through the middle or on either flank, he would offer plenty of versatility to Wolves.
Based on his talent to carve out chances at will, just imagine what he could do alongside a player like Adama Traore. The Spaniard has only scored one goal this term but, with a dazzling passer like Pereira in their ranks, he should certainly get more opportunities to find the net.
The thought of Traore running in behind with the 24-year-old playmaker feeding him is one to make Wolves fans drool. Earlier this season, pundit Jermaine Jenas waxed lyrical of his qualities, saying: “He’s just silky. When he’s on it, he’s just got that lovely left-foot.”
Micah Richards has been left equally impressed, saying: “I watched him a lot in the Championship last season, wondering if he can do it in the Premier League, and he showed me in the last couple of games that he definitely can. He’s just an absolute delight to watch.”
This would be a difficult move to conclude but it would be a cracking piece of business. Jeff Shi and Nuno must ensure that Pereira is on their summer shortlist.