Summary

One Wolverhampton Wanderers target in particular can be an 'upgrade' on now-departed Republic of Ireland international Nathan Collins, journalist Dean Jones has suggested.

So, who are Wolverhampton Wanderers actually targeting?

According to The Sun, Stuttgart defender Mavropanos is a target for Wolves this summer alongside West Ham United as both sides aim to strengthen their respective backlines before the transfer window slams shut.

Serie A giants Napoli are also monitoring his situation as they look to find a replacement for Kim Min-jae, who has joined Thomas Tuchel's Bayern Munich.

Last season, Greece international Mavropanos, who earns £12,500 per week, made 34 appearances across all competitions for Stuttgart, registering three goals and one assist in his time on the field, as per Transfermarkt.

Wolves have already lost defensive experience in Conor Coady to Leicester City this window alongside former centre-back Collins, as Brentford snapped up his services in early July for a club-record fee of £23 million, as cited by Sky Sports.

The Old Gold have added just Matt Doherty and Tom King to their ranks on free transfers as Financial Fair Play problems continue to butcher their chances of bringing in a host of new arrivals.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that Mavropanos could be a better fit for Wolves than Collins; however, he wonders if a deal would be able to be completed in light of their financial complexities.

Jones told FFC: "Mavroponos is an interesting target and if they could pull it off I think many would look at it as an upgrade on Collins. I find it hard to trust Wolves at the moment as they have had good intentions in this market but just haven’t been able to back a lot of it up. The communication around transfers has been pretty bad and obviously Lopetegui could not handle that anymore. Wolves need some good news soon so it would not surprise me if they somehow push the boat out to land a signing on the back of this managerial mess."

What now for Wolverhampton Wanderers?

In a whirlwind couple of days, Wolves have parted company with Julen Lopetegui due to 'broken promises' regarding his spending power off the back of receiving nearly £70 million in player sales, as per Sky Sports.

High earners such as Adama Traore, Diego Costa and Joao Moutinho have also left the club, though the Spaniard reportedly 'lost faith' with the hierarchy at the Old Gold after being told that he had little to no money to reinvest into his squad.

Since then, former Bournemouth manager Gary O'Neil has been appointed and charged with the task of navigating some exceedingly difficult circumstances at Molineux, BBC Sport report.

Matt Hobbs, who is sporting director at Wolves, commented on O'Neil being hired in the aftermath of the process being completed, stating: "Gary's a highly motivated young coach with strong principles. "It's an opportunity to do something different with an up-and-coming British coach and from the people we met, Gary was clearly the right person."

Wolves start the 2023/24 campaign with the mammoth task of a trip to Old Trafford next Monday, where O'Neil will hope to inspire some hope among supporters in a tumultuous time of things at the Old Gold, as per ESPN.