Paul Merson has claimed that Wolves have no hope of signing a quality centre-forward if Chelsea aren’t able to.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the pundit and Arsenal legend gave a downbeat verdict on the Midlands giants’ chances of addressing their goals problem in the January window.
Merson is a big admirer of how Wolves have played this season and predicted they will hammer Huddersfield 3-0 at the weekend but is not convinced they can land a top striker in six weeks’ time.
“I thought Wolves were outstanding at Arsenal, they took the game to them and embarrassed them at times and Bernd Leno had to have a really good game. They were great, but again, only scored one goal and there have been other games where they were great and did not even score a goal,” Merson told Sky Sports.
“So that is Wolves’ problem – they have not got a goalscorer and everybody is looking for one at the moment, even Chelsea. And if they can’t find one, how are Wolves going to?
“I expect Wolves to win this as I just do not see how Huddersfield are going to get near them in the passing stakes. The pressure over the game will be too much for them and Wolves will come out winners.”
OPINION
By the standard definitions, Wolves are crying out for a centre-forward. They have scored just 12 goals from 12 Premier League matches this season despite being widely hailed for the quality of their play, which has yielded a tally of 16 points and a highly creditable 11th place in the table. The top scorer is first choice front man Raul Jimenez with three goals, followed by winger Ivan Cavaleiro and midfield kingpin Ruben Neves with two apiece. Back-up striker Leo Bonatini, who began last season on fire in the Championship before fading away, has scored once, giving a grand haul of four goals from the two main spearheads. Clearly, it is an area where Wolves are lacking despite some of the excellence of their outfield play and their front-foot style which has made purists purr this season. The club tried to sign Liverpool’s Divock Origi over the summer and he would be a perfect signing who is set to be available in January. Contrary to what Merson says, there could be plenty of top quality operators out there.