Wolverhampton Wanderers have made a solid start to their transfer business so far this summer, signing Tommy Doyle, Pedro Lima and Rodrigo Gomes as Gary O’Neil looks to flood his side with young talent.
The Old Gold will also have to sell a player or two in order to balance the books, but it remains to be seen who will follow Max Kilman out the exit door.
The defender joined West Ham United for a £40m transfer fee recently, yet the manager is eyeing up a replacement for the player…
Wolves eye move for Kilman replacement
According to Caught Offside, Wolves have what is described as 'strong interest' in Strahinja Pavlovic as they seek to land a replacement for the departed Kilman.
The Old Gold face some stiff competition, however, as Chelsea and Aston Villa eye a move for the Serbian centre-back, while Newcastle United and AC Milan are keen admirers too.
The asking price for the current RB Salzburg defender stands at €30m (£25m), which may prove to be a stumbling block for the Molineux outfit, despite raking in £40m from the sale of Kilman.
Pavlovic featured for Serbia at Euro 2024 and there is no doubt the defender would be an excellent signing this summer.
How Pavlovic compares to Max Kilman
The 23-year-old shone at Euro 2024, although Serbia were knocked out in the group stage. Across three matches, he won 8.7 total duels per game – a success rate of 70% – made 3.7 tackles per game and recovered four balls per game.
Goals
2
3
Accurate passes per game
51.9
56.5
Accurate long balls per game
3.8
4.7
Total duels won per game
4.2
8.8
Possession lost per game
9.2
16.1
Tackles per game
1.2
2.5
Ball recoveries per game
4.7
7.3
A ball recovery is defined by the number of loose balls recovered by a player.
It was hardly surprising given how impressive he was at club level last term. Defensively, he won a staggering 8.8 total duels per game while making 2.5 tackles and recovering 7.3 balls per game.
The centre-back also demonstrated his forward-thinking abilities, as when compared to his positional peers, Pavlovic ranked in the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90 (0.73), along with ranking in the top 9% for progressive carries per 90 (1.28) in leagues similar to the Austrian Bundesliga.
In comparison, Kilman failed to rank in the to 30% for both progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90 when compared to his own positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, showing that Pavlovic is a clear upgrade in terms of bursting forward from defence.
With regard to defensive stats, Kilman averaged 4.2 total duels won per game, made 1.2 tackles and recovered 4.7 balls per game in the Premier League last season.
Comparing both defenders, there is only one winner. Pavlovic would be an ideal signing to fill the void left behind by the Englishman, and it is something O’Neil really has to consider.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig described him as an “old school CB” during the 2022 World Cup as Serbia came up against Cameroon, Brazil and Switzerland.
£25m may prove to be a lot on the surface, but if Wolves are aiming for a top-half finish in the league next season, a player of Pavlovic’s ability is a must.
Another Nunes situation: Wolves at risk of losing £50m "warrior"
Gary O’Neil will be looking to prevent one of his star players from leaving this summer…
1 ByRoss KilvingtonJul 13, 2024