Wolverhampton Wanderers announce that they have completed the signing of Nantes defender Bastien Meupiyou on a long-term contract.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have announced the signing of Nantes defender Bastien Meupiyou.
For much of the summer transfer window, Wolves have been in the market for a new central defender, preferably with Premier League experience having sold Max Kilman to West Ham United.
With little over 24 hours remaining, however, Gary O’Neil has not been provided with his preferred profile, leaving that search somewhat up in the air.
On Thursday afternoon, though, Wolves confirmed that they had acquired the services of Meupiyou on a five-year contract with the option of a further 12 months.
Bonjour Bastien! 🇫🇷👋 pic.twitter.com/0EXOMVaauO
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 29, 2024
How much have Wolves paid?
Reports indicated that Nantes were initially looking to recoup £8.6m for the France Under-18 international, despite the prospect having less than a year remaining on his deal.
Instead, it has been widely reported that the Premier League outfit are paying exactly half of that figure, without add-ons being taken into consideration.
Speaking on the deal, sporting director Matt Hobbs said: “This is our model and is probably our strength as well. We’re very good at looking in that emerging talent market and I think Bastien’s got a huge amount of potential.
“Obviously, he had some time out last season with a knee injury, so we’ll take our time with him, but he has an incredibly high ceiling and we’re excited to help develop him.
“He’s very physical, very strong, very quick. But also, he’s played lot at six, a lot at left back as well. It’s not often you can find a big, physical profile that comes with the ability to play on the ball and to play in all those positions.
“He fits what we think a Premier League player looks like. There’s no pressure on him, he’s a young boy, and we’ll look forward to seeing how he develops the next couple of years.”
Bastien in gold and black 🐺 pic.twitter.com/M926wwPLC7
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 29, 2024
Does this deal end Wolves’ defensive search?
That remains to be seen, but with Fluminense midfielder Andre on the way to Molineux for £21m, Wolves are committing to two notable deals in a short space of time.
On the flip side, Meupiyou only has nine minutes of senior football to his name, that ending when he was sent off on his Ligue 1 debut against Marseille at the beginning of 2024-25.
Having also suffered a serious knee injury since then, which he has now recovered from, there is little prospect of an immediate senior bow.
However, it is plausible that he could mix time with the Under-21s by acting as the fifth-choice centre-back, as well as providing cover at left-back.