Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has claimed that Wolves would have to spend up to £70million to find themselves a striker who has the same impact on a game as Raul Jimenez but also carries a real threat in front of goal.
Although Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are 11th in the table, they have not scored many goals this season with just 12 in 12 Premier League games – just one more than bottom-placed Fulham.
Jimenez, 27, has been in top form since signing on loan from Benfica in the summer, but the centre-forward has supplied five assists while only scoring three goals of his own in 12 outings.
Ex-Wolves forward Goodman has hailed the way that Jimenez has been able to link up with his team-mates at Molineux, but he still believes that the West Midlands club would have to spend huge money to sign someone who has his qualities but is also able to score goals more regularly.
“You may buy a striker who can take advantage of the chances Wolves create but I don’t think there are many out there who give you what Raul Jimenez gives you in terms of mobility and holding the ball up,” Goodman said, as quoted by the Express & Star.
“Finding a striker that does that and carries a goalscoring threat, you’re talking about a £50m, £60m, £70m striker like Edin Dzeko.
“It’s a bit of a conundrum for Nuno. They’ve got a plethora of mobile brilliant players in those forward areas that can turn defence into attack in a blink of an eye.”
OPINION
Does Jimenez need to score goals? Yes, everyone wants to see their club’s centre-forward bagging goals for fun but with the way that Wolves play and the amount of talent they have elsewhere in the squad, Jimenez does not need to be scoring consistently. It was the same last season when the Wanderers were promoted. Leo Bonatini was always among the goals in the first half of the season but after his goals dried up, others took over and Nuno’s men were still finding ways to win matches with ease. Benik Afobe came in and scored every now and then but it is clear that Nuno’s tactics do not revolve around getting his striker into goalscoring positions. Goodman’s right that it would cost top dollar to bring in the kind of player that he’s talking about, but Wolves don’t need that because it would be a waste of money. They would be better off spending that money on players to play around Jimenez, goal-scoring wingers and attacking midfielders.