Wolverhampton Wanderers: Club seal £16.6m move for Reims defender Emmanuel Agbadou

Wolves have completed the £16.6m signing of defender Emmanuel Agbadou from Reims.

The 27-year-old centre-back has signed a four-and-a-half year deal at Molineux, with the option of an extra 12 months, and becomes Vitor Pereira’s first signing at the club.

It also ends Wolves’ interest in Lens defender Kevin Danso as the club moved for Agbadou over the Austria international.

“Emmanuel’s a winner and he’s driven,” said Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs.

“After the journey’s had, he’s still unbelievably hungry. He’s the type of player the Wolves fans should love, because you’re going to get absolutely everything he’s got.

“When Vitor came in it’s the first conversation we had, to add one quick. There are so many games in January, so you can’t afford to waste a month.

“We have to use this month to be as efficient as possible, and we’re really excited about this signing.”

Premier League strugglers Wolves had been looking for a defender since selling captain Max Kilman to West Ham last summer for £40m, having also lost Yerson Mosquera to a season-ending knee injury in September.

Ivory Coast international Agbadou has spent the last two-and-a-half year at Reims after joining from Belgium side KAS Eupen in 2022.

He made 76 appearances, scoring three goals, for the Ligue 1 club and leaves with the French side 11th, eight points adrift of the top four.

Agbadou joins Wolves with the club out of the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference following Monday’s 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.

They have conceded 45 goals, a league high, but have scored 31, the eighth best in the division.

Wolves travel to Bristol City in the FA Cup third round on Saturday before going to Newcastle on 15 January.