MLS side Colorado Rapids are preparing for yet another assault on Wolverhampton Wanderers; this time for their out of favour striker Joe Mason. The American side signed Wolves midfielder Jack Price earlier this year and is now believed to be keen on snapping up Mason as well.
The striker arrived at Wolves from Cardiff City back in 2013 for a fee of £3 million. However, the 26-year-old has never been able to settle into the first team and was loaned out to Burton earlier this season. He scored a goal on his debut at Burton but things have fallen away since. His loan spell failed and was riddled with injuries. He returned to his parent club in January and has been with the club since. He now awaits a decision on his future with Wolves already well set in attack.
Wolves start the week holding an 11 point lead at the top going into the last twelve rounds of the SkyBet Championship. They have no pressure to go into the weekend to win at any cost with the next side Cardiff City stuck at 61 points. The expensively assembled Wolves side was linked with names of great stature in this January window as they are expected to qualify for the riches of the English Premier League come May 2018. With the Championship trophy expected to head their way, Wolves looked busy in the market with their owners ready to splash the cash to bring in quality players to their squad.
Although they can continue to buy players next season as well after qualifying for the English Premier League, one legal loophole which the Wolves side will be keen to take advantage of is the absence of the Financial Fair Play rules in the Championships. It means they can buy any player they want now without having to worry about their balancing their books, something they will not find easy if they qualify for England’s premier league competition next season, especially given the teams they will be competing against. It is this essential factor that made this January transfer window absolutely crucial for Wolves.
This would mean that from a business point of view, selling Mason would not be the best idea. They would rather do better by using the money from the sale of Mason in the summer as they can then use the money to balance the FFP thereby allowing them to buy more players.
Although logic would dictate not to sell Mason, Wolves will not want to set such a precedent for their players by keeping Mason stuck at a club for six months just for financial reasons. A decision for Wolves to take and they must respect al factors in their decision including the player’s career.
