Wolves Opinion: Why Nuno should go all out to sign Mouctar Diakhaby?

According to a report from The Sun, Wolves and Chelsea are interested in Valencia defender Mouctar Diakhaby.

The Frenchman, 22, joined Valencia last season from Lyon, and has had a mixed debut season in Spain. He managed 37 games across all competitions but only 16 starts in the La Liga. Interestingly, Diakhaby did well in Europe, amassing nine appearances in both Champions League and Europa League combined.

The report claims that Valencia value the centre-back at around £18million, which should be within Wolves’ affordability as Chelsea are currently facing a two-window transfer window.

Wolves finished seventh in the table upon their return to the Premier League, bagging a European place. They will be set for a daunting Europa League campaign if they can go through the qualifying rounds to get into the competition. Nuno Espirito Santo has a thin squad and failure to bring in new faces this summer could come back to haunt him next season. That means getting squad depth is an absolute necessity for Nuno.

Conor Coady, Willy Boly and Ryan Bennett were incredible for Wolves this past season in their three-man defence. The trio were one of the biggest reasons for the club’s success but relying completely on them next season that could potentially be filled with as many as 60 games will be unwise. The defence is exactly where Nuno must add a couple of new faces and Mouctar Diakhaby could be a good fit at the Molineux.

Diakhaby was part of the Valencia side that clinched Champions League qualification under Marcelinho. He is a calm and composed figure in possession and is more than capable of marshalling his troops. However, his biggest traits are strength and aerial ability which always makes him a threat in the opposition box during set-pieces.

Read more Wolves news, click here: Wolves United latest news

The Frenchman’s physical ability and composure on the ball will make it a lot easier for him to settle into the Premier League and he will develop massively under Nuno next season. Despite being only 22, Diakhaby also has solid European experience as well which should come handy for Wolves in the upcoming campaign.

Verdict

Diakhaby is not going to cost Wolves a fortune and it should be an absolute no-brainer for them to snap him up for a frugal fee this summer, with a view to increasing competition in the squad. All in all, the French defender could turn out to be a shrewd signing for Nuno’s side.