16h59 CET
09/01/2025
Emmanuel Agbadou has become Vitor Pereira's first signing at Wolves after completing a permanent move from Ligue 1 side Reims on Thursday.
Agbadou, who made 80 appearances across all competitions for the French outfit, has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at Molineux with the option of an extra 12 months for a reported £16.6million fee.
The Ivory Coast international is a welcome addition to Wolves' backline, who have conceded more goals (45) than any other side in the Premier League this season.
Agbadou enjoyed a strong first half of the season with Reims, making more blocks (13) and completing more passes (805) than any of his team-mates in Ligue 1.
The 27-year-old's 17 tackles won were only bettered by Valentin Atangana Edoa for Reims (24) in the French top-flight, while he also won 18 of his 31 aerial duels.
Wolves have been in search of defensive reinforcements since selling Max Kilman to West Ham before the season and losing Yerson Mosquera to a season-ending knee injury.
"Emmanuel's a winner and he's driven," said Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs.
"After the journey he'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 was the first conversation we had. To add one quickly. 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."
Agbadou could be in line to make his debut when Wolves take on Bristol City in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday before they face Newcastle United next week.