According to the Daily Mail, Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Egyptian winger Ramadan Sobhi from Huddersfield Town next summer.
The 22-year-old, who was loaned out to his former club Al Ahly in January, has rediscovered his form after struggling for playtime in the Premier League. Sobhi has earned rave reviews for his performances in the Egyptian top flight and Wolves believe they can unlock his massive potential. (h/t Daily Mail)
A youth product of the famous Egyptian club Al Ahly, Sobhi was snapped up by Stoke City in 2016 as a highly-rated prodigy with immense talent. However, the 22-year-old struggled to replicate his heroics in the Premier League for the Potters, accumulating 3 goals and 3 assists from 46 appearances across all competitions over the course of two seasons. Sobhi joined Huddersfield Town last summer upon Stoke’s relegation but he failed to establish himself as a regular starter, playing only 76 minutes across 4 substitute appearances before being loaned out in January.
Well, it has never been easy for young players coming from the less fancied leagues outside Europe to make an impression in the Premier League and Ramadan Sobhi is just another example. Sobhi is a really skilful and versatile winger with impressive attributes. While he is not as fast and agile as his fellow countryman Mohamed Salah, Sobhi makes up for his relative lack of pace with his wonderful skill set, clinical passing, vision and eye for goal.
The Egyptian came in with a lot of promise but he hasn’t been able to live up to the expectations so far.
To put things into perspective, it would be a highly risky proposition for Wolves to sign Ramadan Sobhi next summer given that he has struggled to cope with the level of competition in the Premier League. He is still too young and it would be harsh tohim as a flop but the Egyptian is still very much in the developmental phase of his career and he needs to work on his flaws to make his mark in English football. Granted, he has rediscovered his form back in Egypt but there is an obvious difference in the level of football.
Wolves have taken the Premier League by storm on their return to the top-flight following a six-year absence and manager Nuno Santo deserves all the credit for his team’s impressive season so far. Wolves currently sit 7th in the standings and they are still very much in the race for a Europa League qualification spot next season.
Nuno Santo has been generally spot on with his dealings in the transfer market. He brought in the likes of Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio, Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore last summer to strengthen the squad and all of them have had a positive impact this season. The move to sign Jonny Otto Castro permanently was also a step in the right direction.
However, Wolves have every reason to look back and regret their decision to to sign Adama Traore from Middlesbrough last summer.
Sobhi is also unlikely to be available on the cheap given his vast potential as a player and Wolves would run the risk of increasing the count of white elephants in their squad by signing him. In fact, he can turn out to be a second case of Adama Traore. Furthermore, Wolves already have the likes of Helder Costa, Diogo Jota, Ivan Cavaleiro and Morgan Gibbs-White in their ranks, all of whom can play out wide an in multiple positions across the attacking third.
That said, Wolves should forget about signing the Egyptian star next summer and look at other options to bolster their squad.