Rob Edwards’ first signing as Wolves boss could be loan move for Angel Gomes as ‘talks held’
Wolves have set their sights on a 25-year-old midfielder with four England caps
Premier League strugglers Wolves are reportedly ‘in talks’ with French title hopefuls Marseille over a potential loan deal to sign midfielder Angel Gomes this month.
Sky Sports explains talks between the Old Gold and the 10-time French champions have been ongoing for some time, but add that an agreement between the two parties is not yet close.
Wolves are yet to make a first team signing since bringing in Rob Edwards to replace Vitor Pereira, but have allowed a number of players to leave including Marshall Munetsi, Ki-Jana Hoever and Fer Lopez, with the trio all moving out on loan deals until the end of the season.
The Old Gold are at huge risk of being relegated after picking up just eight points in 23 matches so far. They are 17 points away from safety and would need to finish the season in impeccable fashion to have any hope of avoiding the drop.
Wolves target Gomes
Wolves are reportedly interested in bringing Gomes back to England for the first time since his decision to leave Manchester United in 2020.
Gomes was for a long time regarded as one of the hottest prospects in the United academy. He won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in 2017, following in the footsteps of stars such Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Marcus Rashford.
At 16 years, 263 days old, he became the youngest player to represent Manchester United since Duncan Edwards in 1953, as well as the first player born in the 2000s to appear in the Premier League.
He only played 10 matches in total for the Red Devils, including five in the Premier League before gaining experience at Boavista in a productive loan spell in Portugal before later joining Lille on a permanent basis.
Gomes played 134 matches for Lille in total scoring 10 times and making 19 assists in the defensive midfield position. His high-class performances saw him form part of England’s Under-21 European Championship team in 2023 while also earning four caps for the national team 12 months later when Lee Carsley was in interim charge.
He signed for Marseille last summer despite reports of interest from clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and others in the Premier League. He’s played 20 matches across all competitions but has recently struggled for regular game time under manager Roberto De Zerbi.
Where would Gomes fit in at Wolves?
For most of his senior professional career, Gomes has played as a deep-lying defensive-minded midfielder despite his small frame at 5ft 6in.
He’s renowned for his composure in possession and his excellent technical qualities on the ball which allow him to transition defence into attack with ease.
However, it’s worth noting that Gomes throughout his time in United’s academy was utilised either as an attacking midfielder or as a winger due to his ability to score goals and create for those around him.
He managed 10 goals and seven assists in 27 outings for the Red Devils at Under-21 level and similarly thrived at Under-18 level with 15 goals and seven assists from 26 matches.
Wolves have options in defensive midfield in Joao Gomes and Andre, meaning they could potentially allow the Marseille star an opportunity to return to a more advanced attacking role, particularly following the decision to send Lopez back to Celta Vigo on loan.
Sky Sports, however, adds that a number of Premier League clubs are keeping tabs on Gomes’ availability meaning it’s far from a formality that he ends up at Molineux by the time the window closes.