Wolves have signed Ipswich Town midfielder Tawanda Chirewa for their under-21s squad. The 19-year-old, born in Chelmsford to parents from Zimbabwe, has made three appearances for the Portman Road club, having made his debut for them when he was just 16.
He joins a Wolves Under-21 squad that took their opportunity to impress last week when they won 2-1 at a senior Notts County side in the opening group match of the EFL Trophy. Their young players are in demand, with midfielder Harvey Griffiths on loan at Walsall and central defender Alfie Pond loaned to Stockport.
Wolves academy manager for football, Jon Hunter Barrett has explained the move, telling the club: “It’s one that we’re delighted to get over the line. We’ve been watching Tawanda for a while now, since the age of 16, and monitoring his progress before picking the right opportunity to approach and get him across for his services. His key qualities are his handling of the ball in tight areas and an ability to get the team up the pitch to create and score from deep areas.
“As always, with one of our key strategies of looking at loan opportunities for our players at the right time, the departures of Harvey (Griffiths) and Alfie (Pond) and steady progression of one or two others into the first-team squad, it was important we strengthened our under-21s to ensure they have the ability to compete throughout the season.”
Wolves head of academy recruitment Harry Hooman, added: “Tawanda is someone we have liked and monitored for a long time, dating back to when he was an under-16. Although nothing happened at the time, we continued to monitor his development closely over the last few seasons.
“He is an athletic, talented player with the ability to score and create goals. He wants to get on the ball and is not afraid to take responsibility and take risks to make things happen.
“We feel he has the attributes and potential to do well for us both in the short and long-term. This is a fresh challenge for him and we are excited to see him kick on again with us.” –BirminghamLive
