Nasser Djiga’s Wolves turnaround has caught Wolves and Rangers fans by surprise

Nasser Djiga has produced one of the more unexpected turnarounds of the opening weeks of the Championship season after appearing to have little prospect of becoming a regular at Wolves.

The Burkina Faso international arrived at Molineux from Red Star Belgrade in January 2025, but spent much of his early time at the club struggling to break into the first-team picture.

His subsequent loan spell at Rangers last season did little to suggest that he was about to become an important player for Wolves.

Fast-forward to the current campaign, however, and Djiga has forced his way into Cesar Peixoto’s plans and is now emerging as one of the key figures in a defence that has shown considerable improvement.

Wolves went into the international break on the back of a 1-0 victory over West Brom, with the result following another impressive defensive display.

Djiga’s Rangers spell did little to raise expectations

When Djiga joined Wolves, the club were competing in the Premier League, making opportunities difficult to come by for a young centre-back.

A loan move to Rangers followed for the 2025/26 campaign, giving him the opportunity to gain regular first-team experience.

His time at Ibrox was mixed.

Djiga made several costly mistakes during the early part of his Rangers career before gradually becoming more settled, but the overall campaign was disappointing for the club.

Rangers ultimately finished third and failed to win the league, while Djiga’s performances were inconsistent enough that there was little disappointment among some supporters when his loan spell came to an end.

That made his situation at Wolves particularly interesting heading into this season.

Djiga has seized his opportunity at Wolves

Following Wolves’ relegation, it was difficult to see exactly where Djiga would fit into the squad.

Peixoto appeared to have several established options at centre-back, with Yerson Mosquera, Santi Bueno, Ladislav Krejčí and Toti Gomes all seemingly ahead of him.

Bueno eventually departed for Club América, but Djiga had already begun to make an impression during pre-season.

The defender’s performances were enough to convince Peixoto that he deserved a greater role.

Mosquera initially started the Championship opener against Blackburn, but an ankle injury opened the door for Djiga to come into the side against Preston.

He has not looked back since.

Djiga has brought pace, physicality and greater composure to the Wolves defence, while also appearing increasingly comfortable when building attacks from the back.

The 23-year-old has now turned what appeared to be a fringe role into a genuine opportunity to establish himself at Molineux.

Wolves’ defensive numbers tell the story

Wolves have conceded ten goals in seven Championship matches, so their defensive record does not immediately stand out.

However, the underlying numbers paint a considerably more positive picture.

According to FotMob, Wolves currently have the lowest expected goals against figure in the Championship, at 6.6 xG conceded.

Portsmouth are next on 8.4, followed by Middlesbrough on 9.2, Lincoln City on 9.3 and Swansea and QPR on 9.6.

That suggests Wolves have generally limited the quality of chances created against them despite conceding more goals than their underlying defensive numbers would suggest.

Several of the goals they have allowed have also been particularly difficult to prevent.

Jordan Thompson, Sam Gallagher, Jay Stansfield and Divine Mukasa all produced high-quality finishes, while Jackson Tchatchoua’s own goal against Birmingham City was another unusual addition to the goals-against column.

The more encouraging development for Peixoto is that Wolves have now followed that difficult spell with consecutive clean sheets.

Sheffield United and West Brom struggled to create significant opportunities against them, suggesting the defensive improvement is beginning to translate into results.

Djiga could have a big future at Molineux

There is naturally more to Wolves’ defensive improvement than one player.

Peixoto demands considerable work from his entire team without the ball, particularly when it comes to pressing and maintaining the correct structure.

But Djiga has become an important component of that system.

His pace allows him to recover when opponents break the defensive line, while his physical presence makes him capable of dealing with the demands of Championship football.

His performances on the ball have also provided Wolves with another avenue when starting attacks from defence.

There is still a considerable amount of the season remaining, and Djiga will need to maintain his current standards before anyone can make definitive conclusions about his long-term future.

But the early signs are certainly encouraging.

At just 23, the defender has plenty of time to develop further, and his current form has already changed the perception surrounding his place at Wolves.

After spending last season at Rangers and appearing to have an uncertain future at Molineux, Djiga is now establishing himself as one of the more intriguing players in Peixoto’s squad.

That transformation is unlikely to have been expected by many Wolves or Rangers supporters when the new season began.