According to The Sun, Wolverhampton Wanderers have been linked to CSKA Sofia winger Edwin Gyasi for a possible January loan move. A sum of £700,000 has been disposed to the Bulgarian outfit but the deal is still in its early stages and Wolves could face stiff competition from Brighton and Hove Albion, who are also looking to land the 27-year-old Ghanaian winger (h/t The Sun).
Gyasi has played for a host of lower division clubs in the Netherlands, including De Graafschap, Roda JC, FC Twente and Heracles. However, he enjoyed a successful spell with Norwegian club Aalesund, following which he joined CSKA Sofia in the summer.
The Ghanaian has scored 22 goals from 177 career appearances for all clubs and across all competitions. He also made his international debut for Ghana last year and has made 5 appearances for the national team, netting once.
Clearly, Gyasi neither has the experience of playing for elite clubs nor does he boast of an impressive goalscoring record. However, he should be a handy addition to the squad, given that he has improved a lot over the past couple of seasons. And a move to the Premier League might just be the opening he needs to take his career to a new level.
Wolves have made an impressive start to their Premier League campaign and the team has shown a lot of character to snatch points from the likes of Everton, Manchester City and Manchester United. With two wins and three draws from their first six games, Wolves currently sit 10th in the standings and Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have shown that they are not in the Premier League to merely make up the numbers.
With some impressive performances right from the start, Wolves have sent a clear message to their rivals. Much of their success has been down to the stability of their team. While the defenders have kept things tight at the back and have shown a lot of composure to keep Manchester City and Manchester United at bay, the midfielders and the attackers have done their bit as well. Helder Costa and Matt Doherty have crafted some good attacking moves down the right while Diogo Jota and Jonathan Otto have been tireless workers down the left. Ruben Neves has been the pivot in their midfield.
Although Wolves have quality wingers, they should bolster their squad depth by signing Edwin Gyasi. Doherty and Costa are virtually automatic selections for the manager but Adama Traore is yet to cement his place in the side. Although the youngster has shown glimpses of his brilliance, Costa and Doherty have kept him out of the starting XI.
Given that Traore hasn’t started this season, Gyasi might be the ideal player to provide cover and competition for the likes of Helder Costa and Matt Doherty. It is definitely not a bad thing to have adequate options for the wide positions.
A player defined by good technique, Gyasi has the ability to make solo runs down the flanks and take on defenders with his amazing dribbling skills. He is more of a classical winger who plays on the right side of the attack and likes to cut inside with his stronger left foot. Furthermore, he is a good crosser of the ball and is adept at taking accurate shots on goal after cutting inside from the wings. The manager could also utilize him as a substitute, given that he is a potent counter-attacking threat with his blistering pace.
On the other hand, Brighton already have more established wingers in their ranks. Anthony Knockaert and Solly March have been regular starters down the left and right respectively. The performances of the wingers have been one of Brighton’s brightest sparks in the ongoing season. In fact, March and Knockaert have kept mega-money summer recruit Alireza Jahanbakhsh on the bench. Hence, Gyasi might find regular minutes hard to come by.
That said, Wolves should make a move to sign the Ghanaian in January and the deal might just help them secure a top ten finish this season.