Why now is the perfect time for Wolves to bite hand off agent offering ex-Premier League star for free

Wolves have been handed a major blow to their Premier League season following the news that Yerson Mosquera has suffered a devastating knee injury. After being stretchered off against Aston Villa, the club has confirmed that the defender has injured both his medial collateral ligament (MCL) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

“We will be visiting specialists in the coming days to finalise the plan for surgery — this will take place in the next two weeks,” confirmed Wolves' head of high performance Phil Hayward. “Timescales are difficult to state prior to surgery but it is highly unlikely he will feature again this season.”

After just five matches, Wolves are expected to be without Mosquera for the remainder of the season, which hasn’t started well for Gary O’Neil’s side. Wolves are yet to secure their first win of the Premier League season and currently sit bottom of the table.

The blow to Mosquera has placed a huge strain on their backline, which was already under pressure. New signing Bastien Meupiyou is also out on the sidelines and not expected to be in contention until October at the earliest, while Toti has been battling a hamstring injury.

Normally, Wolves would need to wait until January before looking at bringing in back-up options. However, O’Neil’s side have a lifeline which could be a huge saving grace for their season. Wolves, along with other Premier League clubs, were recently offered the chance to sign Joël Matip, who recently left Liverpool following the expiration of his contract.

The West Midlands outfit had been looking to sign a new senior centre-back over the summer but 18-year-old Meupiyou is the only new recruit in that position. With the market not opening again for another three months, Wolves really must consider taking Matip’s camp up on the offer of his signature.

After eight years at Anfield, the former Cameroon international bid farewell to Liverpool and he is still looking for the next chapter in his career. At 33, Matip has an enormous portfolio of experience to give to a side like Wolves. The centre-back has won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool and has competed in the World Cup for his country.

Matip was a reliable centre-back option under Jurgen Klopp and made 201 appearances during his time at the club. While a solid option across the back, he was also known for his rogue meandering runs down the middle in attempt to set up a goal, and his vocal presence as part of the team.

Ahead of both Klopp and Matip’s departure, the German said: “In all the years that I have been involved in football, I am not sure I have come across too many players who are more loved than Joël Matip. I’m not even sure it would be possible to say anything bad about him.

“A wonderful professional, a wonderful footballer and a wonderful human being — we have been blessed to have him with us for as long as we have and now all we can do is wish him well as he heads off in a new direction.”