The inspired £35m signing that could reinvigorate Wolves after Julen Lopetegui exit

Well, that was a negative, and now, in the immortal words of Alan Partridge, Wolves are going to need two positives. You know, one to cancel out the negative and another one just so they can have a positive.

On Tuesday, after weeks of rickety brinksmanship, the club parted company with manager Julen Lopetegui. Evidently, the fella gets some kind of buzz from walking out on teams right before a competition kicks off.

Of course, that assessment is both crude and a little reductionist; the reality of the situation seems to be that the Spaniard has wanted out for a while now due to ‘differences of opinion on certain issues’, but has nobly continued in his role until Wanderers were able to find a suitable successor. Exactly how suitable Gary O’Neil is remains to be seen, but it would appear that we are about to find out.

Ousted by Bournemouth earlier in the summer in spite of an impressive rescue job on the south coast last season, the 40-year-old makes for a notable departure from Wolves’ recent recruitment strategy - predominantly because he was born in Bromley, and not Iberia. He may not boast the pedigree of a Lopetegui, but he has proven that he is capable of working under difficult conditions in the Premier League, and the hope will be that he can represent a safe, if relatively unremarkable, pair of hands.

That’s positive number one, then. Perhaps. But Wolves still need another, and in particular, they require new signings. So far this transfer window, the only players to have arrived at Molineux who weren’t there last season are prodigal son Matt Doherty and understudy goalkeeper Tom King. Factor in departures for the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, and Nathan Collins, and this is a Wanderers squad that, arguably, looks worse than it did on the final day back in May.

The priority, you would imagine, will be to parachute in a player at least halfway capable of replacing the talismanic Neves, and in that regard, there is one touted target who jumps out above all others. According to South American outlet Bolavip, Wolves are one of several clubs keeping tabs on Fluminense midfielder Andre - a player who, like Cher or Howard from the Halifax adverts, prefers to go by just the one name.

The situation surrounding the 22-year-old is thus: he could leave his home country this summer, but only if a bid of around £35 million is tabled. To that end, both Liverpool and Fulham are also understood to be considering potential moves, and speculation surrounding the Brazil international mounts by the day.

Now, whether it be the price tag or the calibre of opposition tussling for his signature, there are reasons to doubt Wolves’ ability to get this one over the line. But regardless, they must try.

Losing Neves, and to a lesser extent, Moutinho, has opened up a gaping chasm in the heart of Wanderers’ midfield, and they desperately need to plug it before the transfer window closes. Obviously, there are cost-effective ways of doing this, but sometimes you get what you pay for, and coughing up for a marquee signing would not only ensure the arrival of a highly-rated young talent, but also go a long way towards placating a fanbase who must be feeling pretty sketched out right now.

But just how good is Andre? Well, according to the stats, pretty darn good. As per FBref, the midfielder averaged a pass completion rate of 93.2% last season, recording an average of 70.68 successful passes per 90 minutes. Of those passes, 5.53 were progressive, and 6.31 were played into the final third, mimicking the distributory prowess of the recently departed Neves.

Defensively, he shines too. Andre registered 2.10 tackles and 1.56 interceptions per 90 minutes in Brazil last season. For context, Mario Lemina averages around 2.63 tackles and 0.93 interceptions per game in the Premier League.

Simply put, Andre is exactly the kind of player that Wolves are crying out for. He is disruptive and creative in equal measure, and his presence in the centre of the park would surely provide ballast for a side that otherwise look in danger of being blown over in the coming months.

Will it be easy? No, it will not. But nothing in this life worth doing ever is. Except making Pot Noodles, perhaps. Anyways, the point is that Wolves need a quality midfielder, and Andre is exactly that. If they can get this one over the line it would be an ideal, and hugely reassuring, start to O’Neil’s tenure in the Midlands.