Wolves reigniting interest in Pape Abou Cisse would add depth and quality at the back

Back in July 2019, Greek outlet Gavros (h/t The Sun) had claimed that Wolves were interested in signing Olympiacos defender Pape Abou Cisse. However, no deal materialised during the summer transfer window.

Pape Abou Cisse, 24, joined Olympiacos from French club AC Ajaccio in 2017. He missed more than three months of this campaign with injury, limiting him to just 14 appearances across all competitions.

The centre-back scored a very important goal to help his team dump Arsenal out of the Europa League in the round of 32.

Meanwhile, Wolves have enjoyed another solid campaign in the Premier League as they currently sit sixth in the table, five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

As far as their European adventure is concerned, Nuno Espirito Santo’s boys are in Europa League round of 16 and have a precious away goal against Olympiacos.

Despite signing Daniel Podence, Luke Matheson, Leonardo Campana and Enzo Loiodice during the January transfer window, the Wanderers have few shortcomings in the squad.

One of those is the defence, with no real depth in central defence. In fact, two central midfielders, Romain Saiss and Leander Dendoncker have majorly played as central defenders this season.

Willy Boly underwent surgery on a broken ankle that saw him miss a couple of months’ action, while Leicester City signed Ryan Bennett on loan during the winter transfer window.

Jesus Vallejo’s loan deal was cancelled in January by Real Madrid as he failed to break into Nuno’s side. Conor Coady has been a permanent fixture at the back but his form has wavered throughout the campaign.

Thus, the need for a new central defender is paramount and Wolves must revive their interest in Pape Abou Cisse during the summer transfer window.

Cisse has played 64 times for Olympiacos since arriving at the club back in 2017. Prior to joining the Greek giants, he spent three seasons in France with AC Ajaccio, racking up 75 appearances. The centre-back has got decent European experience as well and possesses the required qualities to thrive in the highly-demanding Premier League.

Read More

• Wolves signing this 8-goal young defender would be quite useful and here’s why
• Why Leonardo Campana could be an exciting addition to Wolves’ ranks
• Why Daniel Podence would be a smart acquisition for Nuno’s Wolves

The Senegal international would undoubtedly add quality to Wolves’ defensive ranks, whilst generating competition for places and adding depth to Nuno’s squad.

There’s no doubting that Nuno could help Cisse improve his game. At the age of 24, the central defender has a long way to go in his career and a move to Wolves could help him unlock his true potential.

Verdict

Wolves need more depth in the squad if they are to continue the remarkable progress they’ve made in recent years. There is no doubt that they could do with another centre-back and Cisse could prove to be a good addition next term.