Wolves have been linked with Premier League duo – Should Nuno Espirito Santo go for it?

Yasin Ben El-Mhanni And Jose Fonte To Wolves – Should Nuno Espirito Santo Go For The Duo?

This week, Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Nuno Espirito Santo said he was very, very happy with the squad that he has. And who can blame him? Wolves are ten points clear at the top of the Championship and even a wobble against Barnsley and a loss to Premier League Swansea is unlikely to derail their walk to the title.

Therefore, as Nuno correctly pointed out anyone coming in now would have to be adding a lot to what they already have. With that in mind, moves for talented Newcastle attacker Yasin Ben El-Mhanni and experienced West Ham defender Jose Fonte look like interesting ones.

Interest in Fonte does not come as a surprise since the Portuguese connection at Wolves has been apparent for some time. Since the arrival of manager Nuno Espirito Santo and the alleged influence of super-agent Jorge Mendes, the calibre of players being linked with Wolves has gone up. It is also no coincidence that Fonte is represented by Mendes himself.

Fonte has just returned from a two-month injury lay off and in that time, West Ham have gone from strength to strength without him. Thus, getting ahead of the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, James Collins and Winston Reid may prove to be a difficult task for the 34-year-old. At his best, Fonte is definitely an upgrade on the defensive players that Wolves currently have. Depending on the transfer fee and wages, this could be a very shrewd move by the West Midlands club.

Meanwhile, Yasin Ben El-Mhanni is very much a different case. About two years ago, he was playing non-league football and has managed to make only two FA Cup appearances while at Newcastle. During the same period, players of his age have already begun to break into the Newcastle squad, which is by no means the hardest squad to earn a place in. Troubles off the field relating to Newcastle Under 23s boss Peter Beardsley could mean that Yasin Ben El-Mhanni may be looking for a way out of Tyneside.

However, with the attacking talent available at Wolves, it will be unlikely that he would be the first choice at Molineux. As a player, El-Mhanni is clearly talented and he once acted as a body double for Neymar in an advert and was dubbed ‘the non-league Riyad Mahrez’.

But Rafa Benitez does not believe that the player is ready to make the step up to a team struggling in the Premier League. With Wolves likely to make it to the Premier League sooner than later, this signing would not set pulses racing in the Black Country.