Joao Cancelo to Wolves – Good move or bad?

According to a report by Sky Sports, Wolverhampton Wanderers are eyeing a £35million summer swoop for Valencia full-back Joao Cancelo.

The Portuguese sensation spent last season on loan with Inter Milan and he put in some eye-catching performances. The report also claims that Cancelo is represented by super-agent Jorge Mendes, who as we all know enjoys a stellar relationship with the West Midlands outfit.

But is Cancelo good enough to play for Wolves in the Premier League? Betfair offers predict the full-back to have a stellar career if he moves to the Premier League.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men may have secured a promotion to the English top-flight but their challenges will only intensify from here on.

In order to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the bigwigs, Wolves will need top-quality players. And as far as Cancelo is concerned, he does seem like a promising option for the club.

In 26 appearances across competitions for Inter last season, Cancelo scored a solitary goal and provided 3 assists. He boasts of a pass success rate of 84.1% which is quite impressive for a defender.

The player’s tackling and ball interception qualities are absolutely top-notch and that is further illustrated by his defensive numbers. Over the course of the previous Serie A campaign, Cancelo averaged 1.6 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 1.3 clearances per game.

Although he thrives in the role of a right-back, Cancelo can play with equal ease as a left-back and interestingly enough, he also played as a defensive midfielder for Inter on certain occasions.

Now, as far as Wolves are concerned, they have Matt Doherty for the right-back role. He did put in some fine performances for the club but going forward, it would be wise for Santo to have added depth in that area. Also, with Cancelo’s versatility, the Wolves boss could also utilize him as a left-back.

Throughout the recently concluded season, Wolverhampton were deployed in a 3-4-2-1 system but it remains to be seen if Santo follows the same formation in the Premier League as well.

Regardless of how they line up, a player like Cancelo would be extremely handy in the role of a wing-back. His pace, power and attacking capabilities would make him an ideal fit even if the club decide to stick to a three-man backline.

Thus, keeping all this in mind, Wolves must definitely make a move for Cancelo. At 24 years of age, he has a lot to offer and the prospect of joining a side as exciting as Wolves must appeal to the player as well.