Arsenal and Liverpool are set to miss out on the pursuit of Renato Sanches, who is reportedly expected to join Wolves today.
According to an exclusive report from talkSPORT, Wolverhampton Wanderers have managed to oust both Arsenal and Liverpool in pursuit of Renato Sanches. The LOSC Lille midfielder is set for a much-awaited return to the Premier League. He will initially join the club on a season-long loan deal to once again play under the leadership of Bruno Lage.
Although Sanches had not exclusively played under the newly-appointed Wolves manager during his professional career, Lage used to be the coach of Benfica’s youth setup at the time when the young midfielder was making his name in the age-group divisions.
The Portuguese international has come a long way since, winning UEFA Euro 2016 for his country and sealing a big-money move to Bayern Munich before eventually joining LOSC Lille to revive his career. His contributions were critical in helping the French team famously secure the Ligue 1 title last term, although it appears Sanches is now ready for a new chapter in his career.
Premier League is the likely destination, although Wolves are certainly a surprise choice given the fact that was reportedly linked with a move to Liverpool all summer. The Reds’ coach Jurgen Klopp was keen on signing him as a direct replacement for the departed midfielder Georginio Wijnadum.
Liverpool have since been heavily criticised for their lack of activity in the market. However, during the final week of the transfer window, they have been linked with a swoop for Yves Bissouma, perhaps as an alternative to Sanches.
Another club that were in contention to sign Sanches were Arsenal. But after questionably splurging fortunes on players like Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale and Nuno Tavares, they are in a financial rut and ultimately had to settle for Martin Odegaard, as the solution to their creative problems.
Such a situation has left Wolves as the ideal destination for Renato Sanches. With Pedro Neto out injured, Bruno Lage is desperate to find a centrally oriented playmaker who can offer the creative support in the final third and unleash the likes of Adama Traore and Francisco Trincao out wide.
The Portuguese international is the perfect answer, having enjoyed tremendous success with Lille and the Portuguese national team over the past year or so. And having previously struggled on loan at Swansea City, it will be interesting to see whether he can now silence the critics with his performances at Wolves in this new season. As for Arsenal and Liverpool, it remains to be seen if they make a move for some other midfielder late this window.
