Wolverhampton Wanderers’ decision not to meet the financial demands of a Leeds United defender could come back to haunt them following Yerson Mosquera’s season-ending injury.
The 23-year-old was carried off in the 82nd minute of Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa after twisting his knee when caught by Morgan Rogers.
Mosquera has undergone scans to determine the severity of the injury and will require surgery and he’s expected to miss the rest of the season, per the BBC.
Wolves’ depth at center-back will be tested as they have to count on what they have as they opted not to bolster the central defense with one Leeds standout.
Wolverhampton opted not to meet Max Wober’s financial demands
The summer transfer window is shut and Wolves cannot go out in the market to find a replacement, so they’ll have to go with what’s on the squad. Nonetheless, Wolves sought to bolster their center-back depth before the window closed.
Give Me Sport reported on Wednesday, citing sources, that Wolves explored the option of signing Wober after he returned to Leeds from his loan at Borussia Monchengladbach last season. However, negotiations stalled primarily because they couldn’t meet his financial demands.
Wober still has three years left on his £35,000-per-week contract, which put Wolves in a strong negotiating position when they expressed interest ahead of last month’s transfer deadline. Nonetheless, the financial implications of the deal meant that Wober wasn’t willing to take a pay cut, leading Wolves to ultimately withdraw from discussions, per Give Me Sport.
Moreover, the reporting notes that Wolves have a slim chance of bringing in a free agent to replace Mosquera since they aren’t in a position to offer attractive wages. This means that O’Neil will likely have to rely heavily on Craig Dawson, Toti Gomes, and Santiago Bueno in the weeks ahead.
It will be interesting to see if Wolves can hold down the fort until the January window when they can pursue a player. Could Wober, who isn’t a starter at Leeds, be back on the table for them, or will they look at other options that won’t inflate their wage bill as they look to avoid relegation?
