Wolves are considering moves for former Newcastle United stalwart Paul Dummett and ex-Crystal Palace defender James Tomkins after losing Yerson Mosquera to an ACL injury.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
Manchester City superstar Rodri was not the only player who saw his Premier League season end before it really began this weekend.
24 hours before the Spain midfielder was forced into an early exit in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal, Yerson Mosquera was stretchered off as Wolverhampton Wanderers lost 3-1 to Midland neighbours Aston Villa.
Manager Gary O’Neil tipped Mosquera for a breakout season at Wolves over the summer, and following the sale of captain Max Kilman to West Ham. The youngster had been one of the success stories of the 2024/25 campaign in the opening weeks too.
But the Colombia international is unlikely to be seen again until deep into 2025, now, with Wolves’ Head of High Performance confirming the club’s worst fears.
Gary O’Neil’s Wolves lose defender Yerson Mosquera to ACL blow
“Yerson has now had all of the various assessments and scans which unfortunately confirm injuries to the medial collateral ligament [MCL] and the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL],” Phil Hayword tells the Wolves website.
“We will be visiting specialists in the coming days to finalise the plan for surgery; this will take place in the next two weeks.
“Clearly there is a long recovery period ahead for Yerson, and the club will be providing all the support he needs to ensure a successful rehabilitation and a return to competition in due course.
“It is highly unlikely he will feature again this season.”
Given that the January transfer window is still months away, Wolverhampton Wanderers will have to dip into the free-agent market if they are to offset Mosquera’s long-term absence with a replacement.
HITC understands that Wolves considered Oumar Solet after Red Bull Salzburg terminated his contract. Former Liverpool veteran Joel Matip – still without a club despite leaving Anfield three months ago – is another they had looked at.
But with no space left in O’Neil’s 25-man squad for any non-homegrown players, Wolves will be limited to English-born players if they want to pursue a short-term solution.
James Tomkins and Paul Dummett under consideration by Wolves
HITC can confirm that James Tomkins is an option. At the age of 35, former West Ham ace Tomkins left Crystal Palace in the summer.
Paul Dummett, three years the former’s junior, is another option. The Wales international had spent the entirety of his career at Newcastle United. Dummett’s ability to provide cover at left-back as well as centre-half may appeal to O’Neil.
Then again, given that Mosquera is a right-footer, Tomkins may be a better tactical fit over southpaw Dummett.
Between them, the veteran duo have made 440 Premier League appearances. Neither Tomkins nor Dummett would be likely to feature regularly if they were to join, of course, with Wolves more likely to give Santiago Bueno a bigger role in Mosquera’s absence.
It was Bueno who replaced the former Villarreal loanee late on as Aston Villa secured another dramatic late win last time out.
“It just doesn’t look good at this moment,” Wolves boss O’Neil told a press conference at full-time, before the full extent of Mosquera’s injury had become clear.
“It was obviously a big blow in the game for us with the time it came. And it would be a big blow for us to lose him for a significant amount of time.
“He plays in an area of the pitch that we are already short in, and he was performing at a very high level for us in that area. Off the back of the back of the transfer window closing, it’s not an area that we could afford to lose someone in.
“Hopefully it’s not as bad as feared, but it’s not good at this moment.”
The post Exclusive: Wolves consider two free-agents after Mosquera ACL blow, 440 Prem appearances combined appeared first on HITC.
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