Wolves have signed promising young defender Bastien Meupiyou from Ligue 1 side Nantes.
The central defender joins Wolves on a five-year deal, which includes an additional year option, and has represented France at three different age groups, most recently under-18s.
Born in Paris, Meupiyou was spotted playing locally by Nantes in 2019 and went on to spend four years with the Ligue 1 club’s academy, before stepping up to the senior group last season.
The teenager’s senior debut against Marseille was an eventual one, as he was sent off in the ninth minute, making him the second youngest player in the league's history to receive a red card.
Frustratingly for the 18-year-old, injury then ruled him out for the remainder of the season, but during this pre-season he featured regularly, including against Premier League opposition in Crystal Palace.
The youngster spent much of pre-season playing in central midfield, and has experience at left-back, so will bring undoubted versatility to Gary O’Neil’s group.
Bonjour Bastien! 🇫🇷👋 pic.twitter.com/0EXOMVaauO
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 29, 2024
Internationally, Meupiyou represented France at the 2023 European Under-17 Championship and faced Wolves’ Leon Chiwome in the last eight, as well as the U17 World Cup, where Pedro Lima also featured.
On Tuesday he completed his medical tests in Wolverhampton and moves to the Premier League for the first time with O’Neil’s Wolves.
Sporting director Matt Hobbs said: “This is our model and is probably our strength as well. We're very good at looking in that emerging talent market and I think Bastien’s got a huge amount of potential. Obviously, he had some time out last season with a knee injury, so we'll take our time with him, but he has an incredibly high ceiling and we're excited to help develop him.
“He’s very physical, very strong, very quick. But also, he's played lot at six, a lot at left back as well. It’s not often you can find a big, physical profile that comes with the ability to play on the ball and to play in all those positions.
“He fits what we think a Premier League player looks like. There's no pressure on him, he's a young boy, and we'll look forward to seeing how he develops the next couple of years.
“I believe he'll get himself to the highest level he can, because he's driven to do that, and we’ll provide everything to support that. There’s no time pressure for him on anything, no set journey, just a really young, talented boy, and we're excited to have him here, and we're really excited to help him get to the best level that he can possibly achieve.”
