Wolverhampton Wanderers seem to be finally heading in the right direction, after a period of difficulty during the summer and leading into the 2023/24 campaign.
After the depth of the club’s financial fair play (FFP) difficulties surfaced during Julen Lopetegui’s reign, the Spaniard left his post just five days prior to the start of the Premier League season, leaving Gary O’Neil with an uphill battle and little time to prepare.
The Englishman has restored the joy at Molineux, however, as the Old Gold sit 12th in the table having lost just one of their previous seven fixtures, seeing them poised nine points above the relegation zone.
With the squad now looking more settled with a clear plan to their game-by-game challenges, it may be time for the manager to look towards the January transfer window for added reinforcements, as his squad remains short in areas after the summer’s sales.
Back in September, O’Neil described his team options as being “£80m short” of quality, leaving room for targets to be assessed in the winter market, while adhering to the financial shortages that still loom over the club.
Wolves January transfer targets
In October, The Athletic’s Steve Madeley answered questions in his column, with one regarding the boundaries over Wolves’ freedom to spend in January, after a trialling summer.
Madeley concluded that “one or two” additions are the most that can be expected, adding that “a striker looks like the priority”, with loan deals with an obligation to buy the most probable solution.
Despite the margins of Wolves’ financial capacity, the Premier League outfit continues to be linked with a range of potential targets.
Earlier this month, Football Transfers named Manchester United starlet Amad Diallo as a talent being eyed as part of a loan deal in January, after the 21-year-old excelled on loan at Sunderland last season.
With 14 goals for the Black Cats in 2022/23, the winger would undoubtedly bring firepower to Molineux in the final third, however he isn’t the only forward named as a talent eyed in the Midlands.
A report from 90min last month mentioned Wolves as being one of the clubs interested in Borussia Dortmund striker Youssoufa Moukoko, with Liverpool and Brentford also named.
The report claims that the 18-year-old is eyeing a loan move away from the Yellows in January, suiting the Old Gold’s financial requirements, with the club said to be ‘admirers’ of his talents.
With a market value already sitting at €50m (£44m), Wolves could capture one of the hottest prospects in the teenager by securing his services on a temporary basis.
Youssoufa Moukoko’s playing style
At the age of 16, scouting site Breaking the Lines said that 'if Haaland is a wonderkid, Moukoko is a wonderbaby', as the striker continued to impress at Dortmund in the shadows of their former extraordinaire, Erling Haaland.
The prior presence of the treble winner isn’t the worst way to learn the art of being a striker, which the Germany U21 international has done in his own style, possessing similar traits to the Manchester City star.
Talent scout Jacek Kulig was full of praise for the teenager in his scouting network site, crowning him with the status of having 'world-class potential' for his ability to lead the line.
Pace
Very Strong
Finishing
Very Strong
Flair
Very Strong
Instinct
Very Strong
Off ball movement
Very Strong
Decisions
Very Strong
Dribbling
Strong
Technique
Strong
Report via Jacek Kulig – Football Talent Scout
As highlighted in the table above, Kulig identified a host of the German’s strengths, with his pace and intelligence the leading factors to his early successes in his homeland for Dortmund.
Kulig noted him as a 'composed finisher', lauding him as 'powerful and determined' for his approach to play, suggesting that he could be the perfect fit for O’Neil’s incredibly direct Wolves side.
The stats that show Youssoufa Moukoko would be a good signing for Wolves
One element that O’Neil has improved is Wolves’ ability to score goals, with last season’s record of 31 goals in 38 games landing the Old Gold as the lowest scorers of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.
Averaging 0.82 goals per game last term was a low point for the Midlands club, which has been revised by the manager, as the squad continues to improve in the final third with 1.33 goals per game on average in 2023/24 so far.
This being said, there is a lot of work to be done for the side to move further up the table and fully utilise their attacking talent, with a shot accuracy rate of only 32% this season, only 1% higher than last term’s total of 31%.
Creating chances isn’t the issue at Molineux, finishing them is the more prominent issue, with points dropped throughout the season almost always having the potential for the game to have been killed long before the final whistle.
The missing piece to O’Neil’s puzzle is to identify the forward that has it in his locker to finish the line-breaking play that Wolves produce, with Moukoko possessing such strengths.
League
Apps
Goals
U17 Bundesliga West
25
37
U17 Bundesliga West
25
46
U19 Bundesliga West
20
34
Bundesliga
14
3
Bundesliga
16
2
Bundesliga
26
7
As portrayed above, the German has shown a phenomenal scoring record at youth level, supporting Kulig’s claims that the teenager was “born to score”, with his clinical streak being something that would benefit any side.
At senior level, the 2004-born gem netted seven goals in 26 Bundesliga appearances last season, suggesting that he is at the point in his budding career where playing at senior level consistently could shape his game.
The chances Wolves create and the style of O’Neil’s side going forward would undoubtedly hand Moukoko room to flourish, in a move that could blow the Old Gold’s other forwards way out of contention if the teen was to find his feet in England.
How Youssoufa Moukoko compares to Wolves’ forwards
In Matheus Cunha, O’Neil has a figure that is vital to Wolves’ attack, as the Brazilian tops the charts alongside Jeremy Doku and Eberechi Eze with the most take-ons completed this season with 31 in 12 games.
The Brazilian’s ability to create attacks through his stellar ball-carrying abilities excuses his unreliability in front of goal, highlighted by his conversion rate sitting at only 8% in the Premier League this term.
Aside from the 24-year-old, the manager's alternative option to lead the line is Fabio Silva, who has had an underwhelming time at Molineux so far despite enjoying impressive loan spells in 2022/23 – notably scoring 11 goals in 32 games for Anderlecht.
The 21-year-old is goalless in eight league appearances this season, leaving him away from contention to start as the front three of Cunha, Pedro Neto and Hee-chan Hwang overrides all below them in the pecking order.
There are signs that there is a talented player there in Silva – who has been mooted for another loan departure – but one that is perhaps not ready to represent a Premier League club, a doubt that could pave the way for a player like Moukoko to take the reins and challenge in the starting XI.
The teenager has a conversion rate of 33% in the Bundesliga this season, significantly better than Cunha’s 8% and Silva’s 0%, suggesting just the level of potency he could bring to Molineux.
O’Neil could be forced to boldly ditch Silva in the bid to pursue Moukoko, who could be poised for a huge future in European football at senior level in the near future.