Ousseynou Ba of Olympiakos battles for possession with Alexandre Lacazette of Arsenal during the Europa League encounter between both the sides. (Getty Images)
According to Greek newspaper Efsyn, via Sdna (h/t Birmingham Mail), Wolves are interested in Olympiacos defender Ousseynou Ba.
The Senegalese centre-back has been earning rave reviews after his standout displays at the back for the Greek outfit. This has seen Ba attracting the interest of several English clubs such as Wolves, Arsenal and Liverpool.
However, the 25-year-old’s story of rise to stardom has been an interesting one. Ba, who joined Olympiacos in January 2019 seemed to be an outcast within the squad, where he was a fifth-choice man behind Avraam Papadopoulos, Rúben Semedo, Pape Abou Cissé and Yaya Banana.
However, injuries to regular centre-backs Papadopoulos, Semedo and Cissé midway into the season opened the doors for Ba. The Senegal international, who made his entry into the first-team lineup in early December has since then established himself as a regular with his eye-catching displays at the back.
Ba, who featured 14 times in the league this season for the table-toppers has managed an impressive 10 clean sheets, forcing manager Pedro Martins to stay with his in-form man. The tall defender’s remarkable displays in the Olympiacos backline has seen him feature in their Europa League fixtures also, taking his tally to a total of 18 games this season.
Having proved his potential at such a brief period of time, it is no big wonder Ba has attracted the interest of a Premier League side such as Wolves. Meanwhile, Wolves are currently enjoying a successful stint in the Premier League since their return to the top-flight in 2016.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have recorded their best-ever performance after gaining promotion, with the club lying an impressive sixth in the table. They are just five points short of fourth-placed Chelsea and are vying for a Champions League spot before play got suspended due to coronavirus crisis.
Meanwhile, manager Nuno should be thankful to his side’s defenders, who have helped them put up a dominant display in the league this season. Their defenders – skipper Conor Coady, Willy Boly, Romain Saiss and Max Kliman have done a wonderful job at the back that has seen them concede just 34 league goals.
With the Wolves backline looking confident already, Ba’s arrival can only make them even stronger if both the parties can work out on a deal. Moreover, with Boly (29) nearing his thirties and Saiss already past it, roping in the young Ba would be a good future investment for the side.
Kliman, on the other hand, is still young and lacks enough game experience, making Ba a really interesting prospect, who can help them stay at the top.
In Ba, coach Nuno will have options at the back if they wish to better their displays next season. Also, having proved himself in a short span of time, there is no denying his capabilities and would be a natural fit at the Molineux. Thus, they should continue their pursuit of Ba and try to land him soon.
