Wolverhampton Wanderers are going through a transitional process at the moment. Having reached the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals in the 2019/20 season, the Old Gold are now battling it out in the bottom half of the Premier League.
There are very few remnants remaining from Wolves' first campaign back in the top flight under Nuno Espirito Santo, having lost the likes of Willy Boly, Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez and Leander Dendoncker in recent transfer windows.
However, alongside head coach Gary O'Neil, the board are looking to rebuild the team to one that can compete once more for the European places and have already identified a player that could potentially protect the posts for years to come.
Wolves transfer news – Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduro
According to a report from The Express and Star earlier this week, the Midlands club are exploring a deal to bring AZ Alkmaar teenager Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduro to the club in January for a fee said to be worth £2m.
The outlet are claiming that Wolves have made an enquiry for the goalkeeper but face competition from several other clubs, including Belgian giants Anderlecht who are sitting second in the Jupiler Pro League.
The 19-year-old has yet to make his debut for the club despite being in the squad 28 times since the beginning of last season. Former Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion shot-stopper Mathew Ryan is currently keeping Owusu-Oduro back from making his first-team debut, although The Express and Star also reported that the Dutch outfit were hoping to extend his deal which reportedly will come true, with the teenager set to sign a new contract until 2028.
Wolves are keen to lure the youngster over to Molineux and Owusu-Oduru could be the perfect long-term replacement for first-choice goalkeeper Jose Sa.
Rome Jayden Owusu-Oduru's stats this season
Sa was brought to the club in 2021 for £6.8m to replace the outgoing Rui Patricio who joined Roma in the same transfer window. The Portuguese had never played in a top-five league before moving to England but quickly became one of the best in his position in the Premier League.
The former Porto man had an excellent debut campaign in the Midlands and had the best save percentage of any other goalkeeper in the top flight with a whopping 80.6%. Data showed that by April 2022, Sa had conceded one fewer goal than expected every two games, according to Opta.
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However, the £40k-per-week asset hasn't quite reached the heights of his first season with the club and has had a drop in his performances this term compared to the 2021/22 campaign.
Save %
80.6
72.7
Goals Against
1.1
1.77
Shots On Target Against
4.38
5.08
Clean Sheets
0.3
0.08
Crosses Stopped
1.18
2
Long Passes Completion %
40.7
38.7
Errors
0.14
0.23
Stats via FBref
As a result of his declining performances with the Old Gold, Wolves are keen to take Owusu-Oduru off AZ's hands. The UEFA Youth League-winning goalkeeper has played 63 times for Jong AZ since the beginning of the 2019/20 campaign and has managed to keep 24 clean sheets which is one clean sheet every 3.8 games on average.
The 6 foot 2 academy product also saved the final penalty against Sporting CP to send AZ to the Youth League final, a game which they won 5-0 against Hajduk Split to lift the prestigious crown. After the semi-final shootout, journalist Antonio Mango described Owusu-Oduru as an "outstanding" talent.
The Dutchman may not be ready for first-team football immediately but looks like an excellent player for the future and Wolves will do well to secure his signature before anyone else, with Sa – who has been touted for a move to Saudi Arabia – now on the wrong side of 30.