Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in Galatasaray defender Victor Nelsson, as Julen Lopetegui aims to strengthen his squad this summer.
The Spaniard agreed to the sale of Nathan Collins earlier this month, gaining £23m and a vacancy in the dressing room to equip a fresh face in central defence.
Could Wolves sign Victor Nelsson?
As reported by Norwegian outlet Ekstra Bladet, Wolves are named as one of the clubs ‘fighting’ for the centre-back, with Tottenham Hotspur also named.
The report claims that the Turkish champions will want €25m (£21m) for their defender, who is believed to favour a move to the Premier League.
How good is Victor Nelsson?
Hailed as “exemplary” and “superb” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the 24-year-old has shone in his rise to being a first-choice defender in Turkey.
The centre-back made the switch from his home country to the Super Lig in the summer of 2021, signing for the Lions from FC Copenhagen after initially beginning his career at Nordsjælland.
Now, the Norwegian has captured the eye of the Premier League for his performances over the years, posing as a potential replenishment for Lopetegui to make to his squad in order to strengthen at the back.
In 33 Super Lig appearances last season, Nelsson contributed to 15 clean sheets as an influential presence in defence in Galatasaray’s title-winning campaign.
Winning 57% of his total duels with an average of 4.5 per game, the 6 foot “monster”, as lauded by Kulig, could be the perfect talent to partner Max Kilman at Molineux should he make the switch this summer.
The future of the Englishman in the Midlands was questioned this window, following interest from Spurs and a failed bid from Italian champions Napoli.
Praised as “commanding” by writer Joe Davis, the 26-year-old has been backed to be the spine of Lopetegui’s defence, with the Spaniard desperate to keep hold of the impressive central defender amidst that hefty interest.
Averaging 1.91 blocks per 90 in the league last season, the Londoner ranked in the top 10% of centre-backs in the Premier League in this area, via FBref, highlighting the importance of his presence at Molineux.
The 26-year-old also made an average of 0.98 tackles and 0.52 interceptions per 90 last season, recording numbers similar to that of Wolves’ reported target to partner him at the back.
As per Sofascore, Nelsson averaged 1.0 interceptions and 0.8 tackles per game in the Super Lig, being the saviour in Galatasaray’s defence with him only being dribbled past an average of 0.2 times per game.
Another area of expertise that the two centre-backs possess is their reliability on the ball and assured distribution, communicated by their high success rate of attempted passes.
As per FBref, the Englishman maintained a pass completion rate of 83.0% last season, similar to that of the Norwegian who averaged an impressive 86% in Turkey to highlight the rounded factors to his game.
In locking down the future of Kilman and signing Nelsson, Lopetegui could have a youthful defence operating in their prime years at Molineux, with the two men being assured figures on the ball.
