With a top six battle and a long Europa League campaign potentially head, new additions are a must for Wolves this month, but less than two weeks are left in the transfer window.
Nuno Santo himself has emphasised the need for activity to happen “ASAP” which only goes to show his frustrations as he very rarely speaks out like that.
The Athletic reported that the club ‘expect’ to sign two attack-minded players following the departure of Patrick Cutrone back to Italy.
However, those plans should change after they suffered a devastating setback in midweek.
Not only did they lose to Manchester United by a solitary goal, Ruben Vinagre also picked up a serious hamstring injury despite only being substituted on with 15 minutes remaining.
Nuno has described the situation as a “massive blow” as the Portuguese wing-back is a “very special” player for the club. The Wolves boss then went onto say “he gives us something that we need” in his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon.
A hamstring injury can be anywhere between two to four weeks if it’s merely a knock, while Harry Kane’s recent tear shows the potential severity as he’s due out till March.
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Wolves have reacted by recalling youngster Ryan Giles from his loan spell at Shrewsbury but having only ever played 72 minutes for the first-team in an FA Cup tie against lower league opposition, it’s hardly an encouraging sign that he can compete on the biggest stage.
The wing-back position is crucial to Nuno’s system too as seen with Vinagre’s average of 0.7 crosses per game in the Premier League this campaign, which ranks third in the squad behind set-piece taker Joao Moutinho and the marauding winger Adama Traore, via WhoScored.
Their presence out wide is vital in the 3-4-3 formation as it allows the two wide forwards to operate in the half-spaces behind Raul Jimenez, thus bridging the gap between midfield and attack.
With the length of time that Vinagre faces on the sideline unknown for the time being and doubts over whether or Giles can step up, Wolves should be on the lookout for a defender in this role.
It’s a significant loss considering just how highly Nuno rates him and if the Midlands side intend to compete on both fronts – the Premier League and the Europa League – they need a fresh option rather than playing Jonny in two ninety-minutes per week. He’s already made 33 appearances this season and we’re only in January.
Giles can’t be trusted just yet – Wolves need to change focus in the transfer market and bring in another left wing-back.
And in other news, Wolves must break their habits to clinch the next Dele Alli…
