Why Wolves should avoid a move for Porto’s Tomas Esteves

According to A Bola (h/t Birmingham Live), Wolves are in talks to sign Porto youngster Tomas Esteves ahead of the new campaign.

The report suggests that Nuno Espirito Santo is in search of a right-back and has identified the 18-year-old Esteves as a replacement for Matt Doherty, who moved to Tottenham a few weeks back.

Profile

Born in Portugal, Esteves flourished through the ranks of Porto’s youth system and helped the club lift the UEFA Youth League title in the 2018/19 campaign. He has also represented Portugal at various youth levels from U15 to U21 and was a key part of the U17 squad which reached the quarterfinals of the European Championship last year.

He made his senior debut for Porto last season but has made just 3 appearances and was part of the squad which won the league title last season. The report suggests that he is highly rated within his club and could be on the move to Wolves this summer.

Why Wolves don’t need Esteves

The Midlands club have been brilliant under the management of Nuno in the last two seasons since their return to the top flight. They managed to reach the quarterfinals stage of the Europa League last term and are one of the teams which have shown a massive improvement in recent times.

Doherty was one of the key members of the squad as he made over 300 appearances for the club and his departure is a big loss for the squad. However, they do have two youngsters in the squad at right-back and can use them for the future.

22-year-old Oskar Buur was signed by the Black County club in August 2017 and the youngster has now been promoted to the first-team squad. And they also have Luke Matheson available as a cover in that position. Both of them are young and could be a future replacement for Doherty. Thus, signing another youngster in Esteves would do no good for the club.

Esteves has made just 3 senior appearances so far and lacks experience. Moreover, he is too young and cannot be depended upon throughout the campaign. He needs to be playing regularly at the moment to develop and could find it difficult to receive enough opportunities with Wolves.

Regarding the future, Nuno’s side already have two youngsters at right-back and Dion Sanderson, who is a centre-back by nature, is also capable of operating on the right side of the defence.

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Verdict

With Doherty’s departure, Wolves lack an established right-back and it is clear that they are in need of an experienced campaigner. Thus, instead of making a move for Esteves, they would be wise to make a move for someone who is experienced and could be reliable throughout the campaign. Else, the manager should be able to get the best out of the youngsters already present in the squad.