Wolverhampton Wanderers have suffered their first big blow of the transfer window, losing captain Max Kilman to West Ham United for £40m. This comes after several transfer rumours that more of their biggest stars could depart the club this summer.
Electric winger Pedro Neto has been linked with a move to North London, with Tottenham Hotspur thought to be one side that could pounce and bring in the winger. He is valued at around £60m. The other major outgoing at Molienux could be Hwang Hee-chan. The attacker is thought to have agreed personal terms to join French giants Marseille this summer, although Wolves rejected the opening offer of £16.8m.
This flurry of outgoing transfer activity comes one year after Wolves’ record sale was broken twice within the same window. Firstly, Ruben Neves’ £47m departure from Molineux to Saudi side Al Hilal set the record, before just weeks later they sold Matheus Nunes to Manchester City for a fee of £53m.
With all these outgoings, Wolves must balance the books this summer. Recently, they have been linked to one Kilman replacement who would add Premier League experience to their squad.
Wolves target Championship defender
The player in question here is Sheffield United and Bosnian centre-back Anel Ahmedhodzic. After being part of the Blades squad that was relegated last season, Ahmedhodzic could well make a return to the top flight via a transfer this summer.
According to a report from Alan Nixon of The Sun, Wolves are interested in bringing Ahmedhodzic to Molineux this summer, and currently 'head the chase' for the defender’s signature.
Nixon reports that Wolves would have to pay a fee of around £20m to sign the Bosnian this summer. However, he does state that Sheffield United are resigned to a lower fee if their demands are not matched.
The £20m price set for Ahmedhodzic this summer was one the Blades placed on him when Napoli showed interest during the most recent January transfer window. However, he remained at Bramall Lane, meaning he could now switch to the Midlands instead.
Why Ahmedhodzic would be a good signing
The 25-year-old defender was pivotal under Chris Wilder last season, although his side could not beat the drop. He played in 31 of their Premier League games, missing out only through injury and suspension.
Despite having a relegation on his CV, the defender does have plenty of credit in the bank. In 2022, he was 'widely praised' for keeping Kylian Mbappe quiet in a game between Bosnia and France, which Les Bleus won 1-0. He also 'kept Haaland quiet' when the Blades faced Manchester City last season, something football analyst Ben Mattinson praised him for.
Mattinson also explained that Ahmedhodzic 'loves to battle' with physical centre-forwards, and this is reflected in his Fbref stats. Like Kilman, the Bosnian is an excellent box defender, averaging 3.37 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes, compared to Kilman’s 2.26.
The Sheffield United star is also impressive in the air. On average, he wins 1.73 aerial duels per game, with a win rate of 58%. Impressively, Kilman wins an average of 2.26 aerial duels, with a superb win rate of 70.5%.
Tackles and interceptions
3.37
2.26
Aerial duels won
1.73
2.26
Aerial duel win %
58%
70.5%
Blocks
1.46
1.68
Clearances
4.66
4.79
One of the areas in which the former Wolves captain excels is progressive passing. He easily trumps Ahmedhodzic in most metrics in this area, averaging 3.08 progressive passes and 2.87 passes into the final third per 90. In contrast, the Bosnian averages just 1.46 progressive passes and 1.39 passes into the final third.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent's goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
However, take this number with a pinch of salt, as it is not necessarily a true reflection of Ahmedhodzic’s ball-playing ability. Last season, he was part of a Sheffield United team that had the lowest amount of average possession per game in the Premier League as per Fbref, with 35.8%. Extraordinarily, only Metz, with 35.6%, had less possession than the Blades in Europe’s big five leagues. Thus, the Bosnian’s stats on the ball are far more saturated.
For just £20m, Wolves could bring in an excellent Kilman replacement in the form of Ahmedhodzic. Not only would they replace his impressive box defending, but also fill the leadership void created by his departure; the 25-year-old skippered the Blades 12 times in all competitions last season.
In what could be a big summer for Gary O’Neil’s side, bringing in a quality Premier League defender like Ahmedhodzic would be an excellent piece of recruitment.
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1 ByRoss KilvingtonJul 13, 2024