Why Alhassan Yusuf would be a smart long-term investment for Wolves

According to a report from the Birmingham Mail, Wolves had sent scouts to watch IFK Goteborg midfielder Alhassan Yusuf against Sirius on Saturday. He played the full 90 minutes as IFK Goteborg defeated Sirius 2-1 at the Gamla Ullevi stadium.

Alhassan Yusuf, 19, is one of the exciting young talents in Europe currently plying his trade for Swedish club IFK Goteborg. Along with Wolves, Anderlecht, Ajax and Watford are also believed to be monitoring the central midfielder who broke into Goteborg’s side earlier this season, the report adds.

Wolves are still winless in the new Premier League season, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s men drawing 1-1 at Crystal Palace on Sunday. It has been a tough start for them, perhaps due to the earlier Europa League qualifiers’ toils.

The Wanderers don’t have depth in their squad and that could come back to bite Nuno at some point of the campaign. One of the most important tasks over the summer was to bulk up the squad after Nuno got an idea of the taxing season his team will have to go through. But he didn’t and that has directly affected Wolves’ form in the league.

To avoid a potential burnout of options plus with an eye for the future, Wolves must make a move for Alhassan Yusuf in January. Wolves have been very smart in the transfer market in the last two seasons and Yusuf would be another very smart signing if they go through with the deal.

Nuno’s side have a habit of signing highly-rated youngsters well before they become household names with Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and Conor Coady all going from strength to strength at Molineux in recent years. 19-year-old Yusuf is a central midfielder who loves to spray passes all across the pitch and break opposition’s play with his tackling and interception skills.

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The young Nigerian seems to have all of the attributes required in order to succeed under Nuno at Wolves. It will be a slight risk for Wolves, however, considering the fact that the 19-year-old hasn’t played at the highest level, and he might find it hard to adjust to the intense nature of the Premier League.

All transfers involve risk, however, and Yusuf might just be worth taking a gamble in January.

Verdict

Wolves boss Nuno will be keen to bolster his squad when the transfer window reopens in a few months’ time, but bringing Yusuf to Molineux will be a signing made with one eye on the future rather than for the here and now.