Ex-Aston Villa star says transfer target has 'lost confidence' as Ligue 1 club 'make contact' with Wolves
A Ligue 1 club are hoping Wolves will agree to part ways with one of their young players.
The summer transfer window has been a tumultuous one for clubs in the Premier League. Several clubs have yet to finalise their business, with Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers being among them. What is happening in the rumour mill today?
A former Villa star, who also managed Wolves, has advised the Villans against signing one of their reported transfer targets. He claims that the player has lost both his ‘heart’ and his ‘confidence’.
In the meantime, RC Lens are said to be looking to snap up a Wolves player - they are ready to make contact with Gary O’Neil’s men to submit an official enquiry. Nevertheless, Wolves remain keen on holding onto the player - they could let him leave on loan, though.
RC Lens to ‘find out’ what it will take to sign Wolves’ Boubacar Traore
Ligue 1 outfit RC Lens are believed to be interested in a move for Wolves ace Boubacar Traore. Recently, in a report from French outlet L’Equipe, the club have ‘made contact’ with Wolves regarding a possible transfer for the player.
Traore signed for Wolves permanently in 2023, following an initial year-long loan deal from FC Metz. Since then, he has made 22 Premier League appearances for the club, but has yet to score a goal in England’s top division.
Wolves are understood to be unwilling to let Traore go on a permanent basis, but they could entertain the idea of shipping him out on loan - Borussia Monchengladbach are also thought to be interested in a possible transfer.
Dean Saunders advises Aston Villa against move for Kalvin Phillips
Dean Saunders played for Aston Villa between the years of 1992 and 1995 - and he has given them some transfer advice in a recent interview. The Villans have been linked with a move for Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips, but Saunders thinks they should look elsewhere, claiming that he has ‘lost all his belief and confidence’.
Speaking to TalkSPORT, Saunders said: “Kalvin Phillips made his name under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds. A defensive midfield player filling in while everybody else was going forward, seeing things, doing a job intercepting counter attacks.
“[He was] brilliant at it. Quick over the ground, getting in snuffing out before they happen. He gets transferred to Man City for big money, couldn’t get a look in, [and] it looks to me as if he’s just like lost heart, lost confidence.
“He’s lost all his belief and confidence. And when you confidence goes… I mean, if I went eight games without scoring I couldn’t even control the ball! Like, everything’s like an effort you know and your belief goes. You start thinking you’re a bad player.”
“I mean, he’s gone to West Ham and that never happened. I’d start thinking something’s wrong. Arthur Cox, my old manager at Derby County, said to me when I became a manager; ‘Sign players who’ve done well for someone else and they’ll do well for you’. But if you start signing players who have not done very well for someone else and you think you can change them, you can’t.”