According to The Sun, Wolves have joined Arsenal in the race to sign Croatian international centre-back Domagoj Vida from Turkish Super Lig giants Besiktas in the summer.
Vida, who was one of the cornerstones of Croatia’s march to the finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup alongside Dejan Lovren at the heart of the defence, was heavily linked with a move to Arsenal last summer. However, the deal fell through after Besiktas asked for goalkeeper David Ospina in return. (h/t Sun)
Interestingly, Besiktas are prepared to put the 29-year-old up for sale in the summer to get themselves out of a financial crisis and the Turkish heavyweights have quoted a price of £13million to part ways with the Croatian international. (h/t Sun)
Vida’s stocks have been on the rise ever since his heroics at the World Cup in Russia and a move to one of Europe’s top leagues still remains very much a possibility for the 29-year-old, with Serie A giants Inter Milan and AS Roma also weighing up a move for the Croatian international. (h/t Sun)
Vida has been a regular at the back for Besiktas in the Super Lig this term and has helped his team to 3rd in the standings, making a total of 33 appearances for the Turkish outfit in all competitions.
The 29-year-old is under contract at Vodafone Park until 2022 but with Besiktas prepared to cash in on the centre-back, the Premier League sides need to be on red alert heading into the transfer period.
The Croatian started his career at Osijek in his homeland before earning a move to the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen. However, his time in Germany was blighted by lack of first-team opportunities and he returned back to his homeland to play for Dinamo Zagreb before enjoying a fruitful five-year spell in Ukraine with Dynamo Kyiv.
Vida has been at Besiktas since January 2018 and has made a total of 51 appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring thrice.
To put things into perspective, Wolves already have some good defenders in their ranks but they would do themselves a world of good by grabbing the opportunity to sign Domagoj Vida.
Nuno Santo’s side have exceeded all expectations on their return to the Premier League, following a six-year absence from the top-flight. A strong finish to the season would guarantee a spot in the qualifying stages of the Europa League, which is likely to hand the club a significant boost in the transfer window.
Wolves have earned plaudits for their disciplined and organised defending through large quarters of the season, with the centre-back trio of Ryan Bennett, club-captain Conor Coady and Willy Boly proving to be unbreachable at times.
It is little surprise that Wolves have the fifth-best defensive record in the Premier League this season, having conceded only 43 goals from 35 games.
All the three defenders have done a very good job at the back but Nuno Santo has shown a tendency to rotate between Ryan Bennett and Romain Saiss on the right-hand side of the backline.
Although Bennett has had a good season so far, he has shown signs of crumbling under pressure in recent times and someone like Vida might prove to be an upgrade on him, while also increasing competition for places and adding valuable depth to the squad.
Flaunting a signature ponytail, Vida is known for his physicality and aerial ability as a central defender, while also possessing a good understanding of the game to react to the transitions in play. He likes to leave his line and defend aggressively, often outmuscling the opposition with his strength and making key interceptions to cut out the attacks.
Noted for his good positional sense and composure in possession, Vida is also very good at winning aerial duels and his aerial ability can be a genuine asset to the team inside both penalty boxes.
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Having taken the Premier League by storm this time around, the expectations will be sky-high from Nuno Santo’s side in the next campaign and someone like Vida, who has a bagful of experience of playing in the Europa League and Champions League, could prove to be a useful player at the back.
That said, Wolves should not hesitate to splash the cash on the 71-cap Croatian international in the summer, as they prepare for a return to the European front.