Wolverhampton Wanderers greatly overachieved many people’s expectations during the 2023/24 season. Despite a comfortable mid-table finish, Gary O’Neil’s side were predicted relegation by many people, including Phil McNulty, the BBC’s chief football writer. He predicted they would finish 18th, and explained he had a “very, very worrying feeling” about the Midlands side.
They eventually finished 14th in the Premier League, a more than comfortable 20 points clear of 18th place Luton Town. Wolves were actually only three points behind tenth-placed Crystal Palace, who ended the season on 49 points and in sublime form under new manager Oliver Glasner.
It was a campaign in which Wolves’ star players turned up constantly, putting in some excellent performances across the board for their side. Despite injury issues, Portugal winger Pedro Neto scored twice and registered nine assists in just 20 Premier League appearances. Matheus Cunha also performed impressively, scoring 12 goals and registering seven assists in 32 games for the Molineux side.
Now with the summer window approaching, it gives O’Neil and his staff a chance to focus on how they want to strengthen their squad. Already, Wolves have been linked with one Premier League star who could make the switch to Molineux over the summer.
Wolves looking to sign Premier League striker
The player in question here is Arsenal and England striker Eddie Nketiah. Despite showing flashes of form for the Gunners in the 2023/24 season, Nketiah could well depart the Emirates Stadium this summer in search of regular first-team football.
O’Neil’s Wolves side are thought to be one of the sides interested in signing Nketiah, according to The Sun. However, he does explain that Arsenal are “reluctant” to move the striker on from the club this summer, but the player could look to force a move through.
Wolves are also not the only side in the Premier League who are looking to bring Nketiah in this summer. Fulham are thought to be in pole position to sign Arsenal’s number 14, with Crystal Palace also interested. However, Everton are considering making a move on loan, which might suit all parties best, given Arsenal’s reluctance to sell and Nketiah’s desire for first-team football.
It is thought that the England international could be available for around £30m. This is money Wolves might only afford if their big names such as Neto leave this summer. The Portuguese is linked with a £60m move to Manchester City and Tottenham, as per John Percy of The Telegraph.
How Nketiah compares to Hwang Hee-chan
Nketiah featured just 27 times in the Premier League last season under Mikel Arteta, and, despite getting off to an impressive start, did not manage to cement a place in the side. He scored five goals and registered two assists, with three of those coming in one game, a 5-0 thrashing against Sheffield United.
Despite the lack of game time last season, he is certainly a good player. Arsenal writer for The Athletic, Aaron Catterson-Reid, described the 25-year-old centre-forward as a “monster” and explained that he is “the real deal”.
This is also something that is reflected in his Fbref stats. Nketiah is comparable to Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan, who himself had an impressive year at Molineux. The 28-year-old scored 12 goals and registered three assists in just 29 Premier League games, an impressive return given it is four more goals than his other two English top-flight campaigns combined.
2021/22
30
5
1
2022/23
27
3
1
2023/24
29
12
3
Nketiah’s expected goals tally for the 2023/24 campaign was higher than that of Hwang. The English forward averaged 0.38xG per 90 minutes last season, with Hwang slightly less at 0.33xG per 90. Not only that, the Arsenal forward averaged 2.33 shot-creating actions and 0.67 goal-creating actions per 90, which is better but close to Hwang’s 2.04 shot-creating actions and 0.38 goal-creating actions per 90.
Something vital in O’Neil’s Wolves side is being a good ball-carrier which, according to the stats, Nketiah is. Like Hwang he is comfortable carrying the ball at his feet, averaging 1.83 progressive carries per 90 compared to Hwang’s 1.57 progressive carries. However, the South Korean averages slightly more carries into the penalty area compared to the Arsenal attacker, with 1.02 per 90 compared to the Englishman’s 0.92 per 90. Either way, they're very alike in this regard.
Signing Nketiah would be a shrewd piece of business from Wolves. Not only are they adding a quality Premier League striker to their squad, who could explode if given enough minutes, but their striking options across the board would be bolstered.
Having the option of starting Cunha, Hwang and Nketiah would be a real luxury for O’Neil given their quality, and Wolves could become a side who score lots of goals next season.
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