While Wolves have enjoyed an impressive debut season under new boss Bruno Lage, currently sitting eighth in the Premier League and battling it out for a European spot, they have had trouble with finding consistency up front, but a recent link to Valencia’s Maxi Gomez could solve their problems.
Lage has seamlessly fitted in during his brief time at Wolves and has arguably turned them into a more formidable team than they were under previous boss Nuno Espirito Santo. But it has not all gone to plan for the Portuguese manager so far as his side has struggled to put the ball into the back of the opposition’s nets throughout the season.
Despite sitting eighth and vying for the best side outside the top six with West Ham and being resolute at the back, only concerning 28 goals which are only bettered by Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, Lage’s men have severely struggled to find consistency in the attacking areas of the pitch.
They have only managed to net 33 goals this season, being bettered by inferior teams like Leicester City (47), Newcastle United (37), Brentford (41), Southampton (38), Crystal Palace (43), Aston Villa (42), and even struggling Everton (34). This has been mainly due to a lack of form from starting striker Raul Jimenez whose return from a head injury last season has seen him score only six times this season, with backup Fabio Silva failing to score at all in 19 league appearances.
This goal drought has therefore linked Wolves with a number of striking options in the transfer market, most recently being Valencia striker Gomez. We here at TIF have looked at some reasons why this could be a good signing for the midlands team.
Lage finally gets a striker
It is no secret that the Wolves boss has wanted a new striking option for a while now. The manager told Sky Sports in January that a different striking option was on his list for the transfer window, but ultimately he was disappointed. He said, “I think also we can find one more winger, a different striker, so we have two or three situations we can improve to manage better our squad.”
While the side did manage to get a winger, bringing in former Estoril Praia forward Chiquinho, they failed to land a striker to compete with Jimenez and Silva and it seemed to have cost them.
Gomez could be the answer to their problems in the summer transfer window. Lage will get what he wants and Gomez will pose enough of a threat to Jimenez’s spot and will be a solid back-up to the Mexican, his three goals and two assists (Transfermarkt) this season may not look like much but he can bring leadership and experience when needed.
Should Wolves sign Maxi Gomez?Yes
No
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Potential Bargain
Wolves will be looking at a couple of signings in the summer transfer window to replace ageing players like Conor Coady and Joao Moutinho and the possible permanent departure of Adama Traore, so getting a bargain where possible is going to be key if they wish to spread their money across the squad.
With this in mind going for someone like Gomez will be a smart idea as he is valued at £13.5m, a low price for a player of his experience. This will allow them to go after other targets like Spurs defender Cameron Carter-Vickers who has impressed on loan at Celtic, as well as Newcastle star man Allan Saint-Maximin.
Valencia were also dealing with some financial issues, so perhaps he could be available on the cheap.
There is no doubt Jimenez is still the star man at Wolves, but getting in a player like Gomez can only help their mission to break into the top six next season and battle it out for European football once again.