'One day' - £12.5m Wolves transfer target makes honest admission on Premier League ambition

Wolves added two new defenders to the squad during the January transfer window as they worked to reinforce Vitor Pereira’s struggling defence – but despite the arrival of Emmanual Agabdou and deadline-day signing Nasser Djiga, the Old Gold also had other targets in their sights.

One of the players that Wolves were linked with over the winter, Udinese centre-back Thomas Kristensen, has now spoken to the media about the prospect of a transfer – and his ambitions to play in the Premier League. The comments will fuel speculation that the 23-year-old could yet make the move to the Molineux in the future, although other clubs were also rumoured to be interested.

An article published by Sport Witness, who previously reported on stories in the Italian media which suggested that Wolves had a £12.5m bid rejected by Udinese on deadline day, hints that Kristensen could well push to move to England in the near future.

Kristensen’s Premier League ‘dream’

Speaking to the Danish press, Kristansen, who has been capped at Under-21 level by Denmark, said that it was his “dream” to play in England.

“It’s clear that there has been interest in this window,” Kristensen reportedly said. “But both the club and I feel that there are still more things to tick off here in Udine, so we’ll take it easy and continue to develop, and then we’ll see what happens in the future. If we look further ahead, the dream has always been to reach England at some point. It would be great to land over there one day.”

Kristensen, who has made 39 league appearances for Serie A side Udinese since signing from Danish outfit AGF early in the 2023/24 season, has also been linked with Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayer Leverkusen, although it’s not clear whether any of those sides also made bids for the towering 6’6” centre-half.

The defender has three more years left on his contract with Udinese, who are sat in mid-table in the Italian top flight, but his comments suggest that he is already looking at taking the next step in his career – and if Wolves maintain their interest, they could be the beneficiaries of his desire to play in England.

Wolves defence on the mend after worrying start

The Wolves back line endured a difficult start to the season under Gary O’Neil and at the time of his departure only last-placed Southampton had conceded more goals in the Premier League. Set pieces, in particular, had proven to be Wolves’ Achilles heel, and it’s no surprise that the club prioritised defensive additions in the transfer window, while Kristensen’s height would have made him a natural fit for a club who needed to deal with corners and free-kicks more effectively.

In the end, they signed Agbadou from Stade Reims for a fee of £14m plus add-ons and also added Red Star Belgrade’s Nasser Djiga for an initial £10m. Agbadou has impressed in his early outings for the club and was in fine form once again during the 2-0 FA Cup fourth round win over Blackburn Rovers, while Djiga is yet to make his debut.

The addition of Agbadou, at least, appears to have had an impact, with Wolves keeping consecutive clean sheets in their last two games, a feat they had only managed once before this season. Pereira will hope that their improvement at the back continues as the Old Gold prepare for a potentially challenging battle to avoid relegation. Should their struggles continue, however, another bid for Kristensen could easily be on the cards in the summer.