Wolves have finalized the £16.6m signing of defender Emmanuel Agbadou from Reims.
The 27-year-old centre-back has agreed to a four-and-a-half-year contract at Molineux, with the option for an additional 12 months. Agbadou becomes Vitor Pereira’s first signing at the club.
This move also marks the end of Wolves’ pursuit of Lens defender Kevin Danso, with the club opting for Agbadou instead of 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.”
Wolves, who have been struggling in the Premier League, had been seeking a defender since selling captain Max Kilman to West Ham for £40m last summer and losing Yerson Mosquera to a season-ending knee injury in September.
Ivory Coast international Agbadou has spent the past two and a half years at Reims, having joined from Belgian side KAS Eupen in 2022. During his time at the Ligue 1 club, he made 76 appearances and scored three goals, leaving with Reims sitting 11th in the league, eight points behind the top four.
Agbadou arrives at Wolves as the club is just above the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference following their 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Monday. They have conceded 45 goals, the highest in the league, but have scored 31, the eighth-best total in the division.
Wolves will face Bristol City in the FA Cup third round on Saturday before heading to Newcastle on January 15.