Wolverhampton Wanderers' most recent 0-0 draw on the road to Brighton underlined the progress made by Gary O’Neil this season.
Pedro Neto received the TNT Sports Player of the Match award after tormenting the hosts all evening, but he was unable to inspire his side to a victory.
The winger has been Wolves’ biggest creator this season, providing seven Premier League assists in just 11 starts, but unfortunately for the Old Gold, their Portuguese star could be on the move soon.
According to a report this month from Football Transfers, Arsenal and Man City are both set to battle for the signature of the 23-year-old, with the latter set to guarantee him minutes as a starter.
Therefore, let’s take a look at three potential signings that could replace Neto in the Wolves starting XI if and when he takes his leave.
1 Option1: Jonathan Rowe – Norwich City
According to a report from The Sun last month, Wolves had an offer rejected in August for Jonathan Rowe.
However, the Molineux outfit could reignite their pursuit of the forward in January, who has been unbelievable this season.
Rowe has netted 12 goals in the Championship this season, which equates to 0.59 goals per ninety minutes and puts him in the top 2% compared to his positional peers in the second tier, as per FBref.
Sammie Szmodics
16
Morgan Whittaker
15
Adam Armstrong
14
Jack Clarke
13
Jonathan Rowe
12
Crysencio Summerville
12
As highlighted by his two assists, the 20-year-old has a slightly different profile from Neto, who is far more creative than prolific, with his one Premier League goal further cementing that point. Nevertheless, Rowe’s output in the final third would massively help O’Neil’s side win those games, like the 0-0 draw this week.
2 Option 2: Jack Clarke – Sunderland
The second potential Neto replacement is Jack Clarke of Sunderland, who has also starred in the Championship this season.
According to the Northern Echo, the 23-year-old is being monitored by many top-flight clubs, including Wolves, and he could become the perfect Neto successor.
He has become the focal point of the Black Cats this season, taking on almost all of the goal-scoring responsibility despite playing out wide, as shown by his 13 goals in the league.
Goals
0.47
Top 1%
Shots total
2.73
Top 4%
Key passes
2.40
Top 9%
Shot-creating actions
5.45
Top 4%
Successful take-ons (dribbles)
3.71
Top 1%
Carries into penalty area
4.76
Top 1%
However, Clarke is much more than just goals, as you can see from the table above. The fact that he ranks so highly compared to his positional peers, notably for dribbling, proves that he’s a level above and that he is ready to perform on the biggest stage.
3 Option 3: Armando Broja – Chelsea
Now, we know what you’re thinking: how can an out-and-out striker replace Neto, who is far from that? Well, O’Neil could have a plan up his sleeve to shift around his front line to fit in the Albanian, who has been labelled as "complete" by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig.
This week, journalist Ben Jacobs told GIVEMESPORT that Wolves are working on a deal to bring Armando Broja to the club on a loan with an option to buy, who is valued at £50m by the Blues.
If the move was to be completed, he would slot right into the centre forward role, ultimately meaning that Hwang Hee-chan could move into a deeper supporting role, which is where Neto plays currently.
Having three goal scorers in attack, Matheus Cunha, Hwang, and Broja, would make Wolves far more deadly, and combined, they would become a terrifying trio.
Goals/shot on target
0.50
Top 17%
Shots total
2.58
Top 45%
Pass completion %
88.3%
Top 1%
Progressive passes received
7.33
Top 16%
Successful take-ons (dribbles)
2.58
Top 1%
Touches (Att pen)
6.94
Top 13%
The 22-year-old has had his share of injury troubles over the years, but with minutes under his belt, he could thrive in a new environment. The table above shows glimpses of what he could bring to the side, such as acting as a target man to receive the ball and retaining it, operating within the box, while also taking players on with his power and speed.
