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Liam Keen comment: Wolves’ newest recruits prove productive window

Wolves have had a busy January transfer window as they look to strengthen the squad for their relegation battle.

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In total, six first-team signings have come through the door and overall the club has had an impressive month off the field.

For Wolves and head coach Julen Lopetegui, the window was all about balancing the squad and bringing in experience and leadership – boxes they have certainly ticked.

Matheus Cunha

The jury is out on whether Cunha is an out-and-out number nine but his signing is undoubtedly a coup.

He was Wolves and Lopetegui’s number one target and they beat Everton and Leeds to his signature by doing the deal early.

In a short space of time he has already shown his intelligent positioning, runs in behind and technical ability. He has typically played as a number nine in his career but, in many people’s eyes, looks more comfortable playing off a striker.

That could be the only criticism of Wolves in this window, but Cunha certainly looks like a high-quality addition.

Mario Lemina

Not all signings will grab the headlines, but Lemina’s arrival was important for a number of reasons.

First of all, he is a pragmatic signing. Wolves need some consistency and while he may not pull up any trees, he will hopefully offer regular and consistent performances.

He is experienced and used to the Premier League, ticking those important boxes, and adds depth to midfield which is something Wolves have missed for some time.

Pablo Sarabia

This signing has strangely gone under the radar, but Sarabia’s addition was superb business from Wolves. For just £4.5million Wolves have brought in a creative forward in his prime, who scored 21 goals while on loan last season.

The Spanish international can play out wide or as a number 10 and adds versatility as well as technical quality to the team.

Frankly, his signing was an absolute steal and could be the best deal Wolves have done in some time.

Craig Dawson

Similar to Lemina, bringing in Dawson is not a ground-breaking deal, but it is a shrewd one.

For a small fee of £3.3million, he adds Premier League experience and set piece expertise to Wolves’ squad.

He balances the options at centre-back and will offer Max Kilman and Nathan Collins some guidance.

Dan Bentley

The signing of Bristol City club captain Bentley again ticked the box of adding leadership to the squad.

Alongside that, he will offer more competition to Jose Sa than Matija Sarkic could and overall adds more options for Lopetegui.

Joao Gomes

Wolves struck while the iron was hot and secured the signing of a player they hope will be worth a lot more in the years to come.

With midfielders likely moving on in the summer, Gomes could be a Ruben Neves replacement and Wolves did well to get this one over the line in January.

The midfield options until May are now plentiful and this promising 21-year-old could be a key signing for the future, proving that Wolves managed to cover all bases in this window in the fight to survive and build for the summer.