Wolverhampton Wanderers confirmed the signings of Marshall Munetsi and Nasser Djiga just after midnight, over an hour after the 11pm cut-off point on transfer deadline day.
The Old Gold sealed both deals before the window was slammed shut, pleasing head coach Vitor Pereira who was determined to land a new defender and central midfielder. Wanderers are delighted but rivals in the Premier League relegation fight – including Ipswich Town and Leicester City – will be watching on through gritted teeth.
Munetsi, signed for a fee believed to be in the region of €20.5 million (£17m), became the second player to join Wolves from Stade de Reims in the window following the £16.6 million acquisition of centre-half Emmanuel Agbadou. The Zimbabwe international has put pen to paper on a three and a half year contract.
A staple in Reims’ midfield for the past five seasons, Munetsi was recently named the man of the match in a 1-1 draw away at Paris Saint-Germain. The 28-year-old is in his prime years and had established himself as one of the best midfielders in the bottom half of the French top flight before his exit.
Djiga, meanwhile, has joined from Red Star Belgrade in a deal worth approximately €12.5 million (£10m). The 6ft 3in centre-half promises to be a superb addition as he recently emerged as one of the best defenders in the Serbian top flight.
The 22-year-old, who played every possible minute for Red Star in the eight Champions League outings this season, only signed for the Serbian Super Liga club for £2.5 million in the summer. Most teams would be devastated to lose a key player but Red Star are thrilled to cash in for what’s close to a record sale.
Wolves are relieved they managed to avoid a repeat of the Kevin Danso saga as they looked set to sign the Austrian international defender from RC Lens but Tottenham Hotspur hijacked the deal. A full agreement was reached for Danso to join on loan and a medical was even booked, but Spurs swooped in to sign him instead.
Lemina exit inevitable after £17m Wolves deal
Munetsi signing on the dotted line will allow Mario Lemina to depart the club. Reports in Turkey suggest a full agreement has been reached for Lemina to complete a €3.5 million transfer to Galatasaray, still a possibility as the Turkish window doesn’t shut for another week.
The Old Gold were keen to move on Lemina throughout January following unprofessionalism and a lack of commitment from the former captain. Lemina refused to play against Newcastle United two weeks ago after requesting a transfer earlier in the month, before apologising to Pereira and his teammates.
The 31-year-old played 77 times for Wolves in all competitions, scoring six goals and making five assists. Lemina has made more appearances for Wanderers than any other team in his career and he had built a superb relationship with the fanbase, but those memories have now been tarnished to a great extent.
