Transfer Centre

Wolverhampton Wanderers chairman Jeff Shi: 'Signing a striker wasn't a priority'

By Darren Plant, Senior Reporter | 02 September 2017

Wolverhampton Wanderers chairman Jeff Shi insists that signing a striker was not the club's top priority during the closing days of the transfer window.

Wolverhampton Wanderers chairman Jeff Shi has revealed that the club placed more focus on trying to sign a midfielder over a striker during the closing days of the transfer window.

The Championship outfit head into the next four months of the season with only one recognised frontman in Leo Bonatini after failing to push through a deal for PSV Eindhoven's Jurgen Locadia.

However, Shi has indicated that while Wolves wanted to strengthen in the final third, securing the loan arrival of Villarreal midfielder Alfred N'Diaye was deemed a higher priority.

Shi told the Express & Star: "In the last week we wanted to sign two players, a midfielder and maybe a striker. We desperately needed a defensive midfielder. This target was more important.

"In our view and in Nuno's view the midfielder was more important. We have Ruben [Neves] and Romain [Saiss] but in our system I think we need a strong, tall guy to do the dirty work and defend and play together with a creative player like Ruben or [Jack] Price. We had only Saiss and he cannot play every game."

After five games, Wolves sit in fourth place in the Championship standings.