Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Vitor Pereira has suggested that he is eager for the club to sign a new defender as soon as possible.
Pereira has worked wonders with the players that are currently at his disposal since replacing Gary O'Neil earlier this month.
Sunday's 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur made it seven points from a possible nine across the Christmas period, moving Wolves outside of the Premier League relegation zone.
However, Pereira was unable to call upon Toti Gomes for the game in North London courtesy of the defender sustaining a hamstring injury in the previous fixture against Manchester United.
Wolves have already been without Yerson Mosquera since September courtesy of the centre-back suffering a serious knee injury that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of 2024-25.
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What has Pereira said?
With Toti progressing into a leadership figure at Wolves, his absence is a blow for Wolves who looked far more defensively vulnerable without his presence in the back three versus Spurs.
Speaking after the match in the capital, Pereira acknowledged that he wants to bring in a fresh face for the middle of his defence.
As quoted by the Express and Star, the Portuguese said: "The young players need time to play, this league is not easy.
"I believe that with time the two young centre-backs on the bench can help us, but we are a bit short.
"We are playing with three at the back but I don't want three centre-backs, I want three central defenders, I want one and one full-back left or right."
As it stands, Wolves face lining up against Nottingham Forest on January 6 with Matt Doherty, Craig Dawson and Santiago Bueno as their three in the middle.
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Which youngsters was Pereira referring to?
Wolves fans are still awaiting the first senior appearance of French prospect Bastien Meupiyou who signed from Nantes in the summer.
However, as well as being selected in recent Premier League squads, the 18-year-old has featured in Under-21s fixtures against Huddersfield Town and Leicester City respectively.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Alfie Pond has been restricted to a 90-minute outing versus Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup and a brief appearance at Fulham in the Premier League this season.
Darren Plant
