Wolverhampton Wanderers have made some excellent signings during the transfer window so far, adding plenty of young talent into their current squad.
Unfortunately, Gary O’Neil has been forced to sell Max Kilman to West Ham United, raising £40m in the process, to fund his summer spending.
It is a blow losing their former captain, but could O’Neil turn to the Championship for a potential replacement?
Wolves still interested in signing English centre-back
According to journalist Darren Witcoop, as relayed by Football League World, Wolves are continuing to monitor QPR defender Jake Clarke-Salter as they look to potentially bring the player to the Midlands before the end of the summer transfer window.
The report claims that the London side are willing to cash in on their defender if the price was right, as they are aiming to bolster other areas of the team.
It looks as though a bid of £10m could be enough to lure the centre-back north in the next few weeks, a fee which is more than affordable for the Old Gold.
Clarke-Salter wouldn’t just be an ideal replacement for Kilman, but he could also form a solid partnership with Toti Gomes in the Wolves' defence next season.
Jake Clarke-Salter’s season in numbers
The 26-year-old made 33 appearances for QPR last term, enjoying a solid campaign in what was his second season at the club.
Among his teammates, Clarke-Salter ranked first for accurate passes per game (41.1) in the Championship last term, along with ranking second for tackles per game (2) and 16th for possession lost per game (9.1).
Metric
Clarke-Salter
Toti
Accurate passes per game
41.1
40.5
Total duels won per game
5.3
3.9
Dribbled past per game
0.4
0.4
Accurate long balls per game
2.1
1.3
Possession lost per game
9.1
10.3
It was his statistics when compared to positional peers that may have impressed O’Neil, however. According to FBref, Clarke-Salter not only ranked in the top 16% for aerials won per 90 (3.17), but he also ranked in the top 6% for tackles per 90 (2.19) in the men’s next 14 competitions over the previous 365 days.
This strength in the tackle and in one-on-one battles could see him form a solid partnership with Toti next term. The Portuguese titan ranked in the top 5% for assists (0.1) and the top 1% for successful take-ons (0.75) per 90 when compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues.
This suggests he loves bursting forward whenever possible, which means Clarke-Salter would provide plenty of cover for the Wolves star when he does burst into the opposition half.
Toti doesn’t shy away from the defensive aspects of the game though, as he won 3.9 total duels per game last term – a success rate of 60% – while being dribbled past on just 0.4 occasions per game.
Adding Clarke-Salter to the Wolves backline could see the pair shine together next season, if he can make the step up to the Premier League.
The QPR defender received praise from former Chelsea captain John Terry, who said: “Jake has a great attitude. I remember watching him a couple of years ago being in control of the game and a really vocal player. He reminds me a bit of myself.”
At 26, he is currently entering into the prime years of his career. For just £10m, O’Neil could adequately replace Kilman while signing a perfect partner for Toti in the process.
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