Gary O’Neil might receive a late addition to his team after a rocky start to the new season.
In the waning hours of this summer’s transfer window, Wolverhampton Wanderers may be ready to give Gary O’Neil a new midfield weapon in the form of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
Is Jean-Ricner Bellegarde joining Wolves?
With the resignation of their now-former manager Julian Lopetegui, Wolves have had a tumultuous start to the new season.
Despite a strong performance at Old Trafford in their opening game of the season, Wolves found themselves without a point after their second encounter. However, there was reason for optimism after their weekend victory against fellow strugglers Everton.
And, with the summer transfer window closing tonight, it appears that the Wolves supporters may be given another reason to cheer ahead of the weekend, with a new midfielder potentially arriving in the last hours.
In fact, it’s been said that the Old Gold and Strasbourg have come to a deal for the Old Gold to purchase the Frenchman for about £12.8 million. Additionally, it’s rumored that the club has already dispatched representatives to France to seal the transaction before the deadline of 11 p.m. (BST).
Who exactly is Jean-Ricner Bellegarde?
Bellegarde is a French midfielder who stands 5 7 inches tall and is only 25 years old. The striker, who joins Strasbourg in 2019 from Ligue 1 club Lens, has spent his whole career playing in his own country.
In trying to score goals in Ligue 1, the midfielder has run into several obstacles. Bellegarde has only produced five goals in his 128 league games over his last four complete seasons in the French top division.
However, he has had a very strong start to the new season, scoring twice and dishing out two assists in his first three Ligue 1 matches. And after giving his team nine assists in the league alone last season, he has demonstrated some encouraging signs of developing into a creative force from the middle.
But because he ranks in the top percentiles for progressive carries with an impressive 4.05 per 90 minutes, as per FBref, and exhibits a fantastic ability to not only win the ball but to drive it forward, this is a player who will be brought to Molineux to give O’Neil some stability from the middle of the park.
The Ligue 1 website, which profiled the midfielder last month, lauded him as a “rising star” as well. Bellegarde, a “all-action midfielder,” has drawn reported interest from other Premier League clubs, including Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace, who are thought to have an interest in the Frenchman.
Wolves may be in need of a tough character in the middle of the park going forward after giving up five goals in their first two games of the season.
Bellegarde might not be able to play in Sunday’s match, which is ironically at rival bidders Crystal Palace, if a deal is to be finalized in the final minutes of today’s deadline.
