Wolves eye £30m ace with the most tackles at Euro 2024

Wolverhampton Wanderers have made four signings so far during the summer transfer window as Gary O’Neil aims to build upon a decent first season in charge of the club.

With Max Kilman sealing a £40m move to West Ham United last week, this could give O’Neil some leeway in the transfer market with regard to future incomings.

Might he pursue a deal for a player who impressed at the European Championships in a bid to further strengthen his playing squad?

Wolves eye move for Turkish defender

According to reports from Turkey last week, Wolves are interested in signing Turkish left-back Ferdi Kadioglu this summer following his impressive showings for Turkey at Euro 2024.

Premier League teams such as Arsenal, Fulham and West Ham are also keen on the defender, while the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Atlético Madrid are admirers of the player.

Fenerbahçe won’t take anything less than £30m, which means Wolves may have to move on another player before looking to do any business this summer.

There is no doubt he would be a wonderful signing for the Old Gold, especially as his ability to push forward from the left side of defence could allow him to supercharge Matheus Cunha next term.

How Ferdi Kadioglu would benefit Matheus Cunha

Turkey looked set to make it to the last four of a major international competition for the first time since 2008 when they led the Netherlands 1-0 with just 20 minutes to go on Saturday.

Somehow, they lost the match 2-1, but the nation can hold their heads high after some wonderful displays.

The left-back has made the most tackles in the competition with 18, while he also won seven total duels per game – a success rate of 66% – along with recovering five balls per game for Turkey.

It was hardly a surprise to see him praised during the competition, with Lee Dixon quick to praise him during the loss to the Dutch, saying on ITV: “He looks an absolute star doesn’t he tonight? I think that wing-back role really suits him as well.”

For his club side last season, Kadioglu showcased his attacking skills, which could see him create plenty of chances for Cunha next season.

Indeed, across 37 games in the Turkish Süper Lig, the 24-year-old not only registered four assists, but he also created ten big chances, averaged 1.4 key passes per game and succeeded with 1.5 dribbles per game, clearly indicating how much of a threat he was down the left flank.

Cunha typically operated as an attacking midfielder at times last season, which means Kadioglu could work closely with the Brazilian to generate chances galore in the final third next term.

Having found the back of the net on 14 occasions during 2023/24, Cunha could certainly break through the 20-goal barrier should the Turkish talent make the move to the Midlands this summer.

O’Neil will have to bat away some serious competition, but if he does land the defender, it would signal a major statement of intent by the club.