Wolves have been linked with Sevilla midfielder Isco recently and the Spaniard could prove to be Julen Lopetegui’s own version of Real Madrid sensation Federico Valverde at Molineux.
It has been suggested that the 30-year-old will leave Sevilla in January after a fallout with the club’s sporting director, Monchi, so a reunion with Lopetegui could be on the cards as he looks for a new club.
The former Spain international only joined the Rojiblancos during the summer but it seems as if they are already keen to cash in on the midfielder, after just one goal and three assists in his first 13 appearances for the club.
Isco was once a key part of Real Madrid’s side, with Andres Iniesta dubbing his Spanish teammate “incredible” in 2017 but after falling out of favour with Los Blancos, the once magic attacking midfielder has struggled to ever find consistent form.
However, Lopetegui will be hoping that a change of scenery could be exactly what Isco needs to get back to his best and if he can play to his obvious ability, then he could be key in getting the Old Gold out of trouble this season.
He could even replicate the performances of one of Europe’s top midfield talents in Fede Valverde, who has been a key player for Real Madrid and Uruguay in recent seasons, with WhoScored ranking the 24-year-old as the fourth-best performer in Carlo Ancelotti’s side so far this campaign.
It was no surprise when the young midfielder was attracting Premier League interest during the summer, with Liverpool reportedly failing with an £86m bid for Valverde, although that price may well have increased further after his phenomenal start to the new season.
According to FBRef, Valverde is the fifth-most similar player to Isco when compared to other attacking midfielders across Europe’s top leagues.
This season has seen the two players register comparable statistics with regard to tackles won (nine vs eight), assists (both two) and shot-creating actions per 90 (3.49 vs 3.17).
WhoScored also suggests that both Valverde and Isco excel at dribbling, while they have registered similar numbers of key passes (1.7 vs 1.4), dribbles (0.9 vs 0.6) and tackles (0.9 vs 1.3) per game in La Liga this season.
Therefore, they can clearly do a similar job in midfield and while Isco might not be the player he once was, and may never be worth £86m again, he could certainly emulate Valverde at Molineux under the right management.