Former Premier League defender Stephen Warnock has piled on the praise for Wolves’ January signing Willian Jose.
The 29-year-old, valued at £18m on Transfermarkt, signed on loan for the remainder of the 2020/21 season, was brought in to cover the hole left by Mexican forward Raul Jimenez following his injury back in November. And even though he hasn’t managed to find the back of the net yet for his new team, he has managed to settle in quite well, already in the top ten of the team based on his average WhoScored rating.
Speaking on the BBC’s Football Daily podcast, Warnock claimed that his display against Arsenal was very impressive, and that things will only get better the more he gets used to his new surroundings:
“I thought he did extremely well. What I was talking in commentary about him is, he’s not someone who’s gonna run in behind, he’s not going to sort of pull defenders deeper and set things off. But what he is, is a focal point.
“I thought it was a positive display. And I think he’ll just get fitter and stronger with training with this Wolves team as well, because they are a dynamic team up front and he will have to get up to speed of that, that when the wingers do attack, they go at speed and he’s going to have to keep up with them.”
Do you think the arrival of Willian Jose will turn Wolves' form around?
No, he's not that good
Yes, he's a solid player
TIF Thoughts on Stephen Warnock’s comments about Willian Jose…
Warnock is right to be impressed with his display, getting away two shots, two dribbles, winning two aerial duels, completing 83% of his passes and winning the penalty that led to David Luiz’s red card and Wolves’ equaliser.
It was always going to be hard to replace the impact that Jimenez had after the number of goals he’s managed to put up during his time at Molineux, but by the sounds of it, the only thing that is missing from Jose’s game at this point is goals.
And the sooner he can find them, then the sooner Wolves can start to get their season back together after a somewhat disappointing season so far compared to the previous two in the Premier League.