Wolves have reportedly rejected a transfer bid from Premier League rivals Everton for Leander Dendoncker.
What’s the news?
According to a recent report from The Sun, the Old Gold have rejected a bid of £8.5m for the Belgian from the Merseyside club as Frank Lampard looks to strengthen his midfield. The report also adds that “there is confidence a deal can be struck before Thursday’s deadline”.
Wolves originally signed the 27-year-old on loan from Anderlecht in summer 2018 before securing him on a permanent deal a year later.
During his time with the Midlands club, the midfielder has made 159 appearances across all competitions, scoring 12 goals and providing four assists along the way.
Last season saw only five other outfield players make more appearances in the league for Wolves than Dendoncker (30), which shows how important he is to Bruno Lage.
A potential howler
To highlight how useful he was for Wolves last term, only two team-mates ended the campaign with a higher percentage for shots on target than him (43.5%) and only three of his team-mates posted a higher pass completion percentage than the 27-year-old (87.3%).
This shows how capable the £90k-per-week figure is on the ball and how much of a goal threat he can offer when given the chance to test opposition goalkeepers.
Lage has previously shared his admiration for the Belgium international in the past, saying of him after seeing Wolves beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 last season: “He is there, understands the role I have for him. He can play in the first, second and third position. He is a top player and a top man with the right mentality.”
Would you be disappointed if Wolves sold Dendoncker this summer?
Yes
No
Joao Moutinho’s current contract expires next summer, so if the 35-year-old were to leave Molineux at that time, the Wolves manager could then have to rely on the Belgian to take the mantle of midfield leader.
Talking all this into account, we feel that it would be a big howler from the Midlands club to allow Dendoncker to leave this summer, particularly to join another Premier League team.
With that in mind, if the Toffees do come back in with another bid for the player, Wolves should have no doubts over rejecting it and continuing their season with him in the squad.
