Wolves fans are hoping to see Jhon Arias make a big impact, and a somewhat surprising statistic has emerged early doors about the Colombian.
Jhon Arias arrived at Molineux as Wolves’ second signing of the summer.
He joined for around £19 million in total, and Arias also assumed the number 10 shirt at Wolves, which was previously worn by Matheus Cunha of course.
He is seen as Cunha’s direct replacement.
Arias has big shoes to fill, given Cunha was a mercurial player who could change any game in an instant.
It has been a fairly low key start so far for Arias, but one statistic has emerged about him that comes as something of a surprise.
Wolves star Jhon Arias is fifth in the Premier League for tackles
Wolves lost a lot of goals and assists when Cunha left.
So the hope is that Arias can provide a strong output in the final third, and his numbers at Fluminense suggest he has the potential to do that.
But so far, we haven’t seen an awful lot from him in an attacking sense, as he is still working the Premier League out, and also still coming to understand his new teammates.
Andy Thompson recently suggested he was disappointed by Arias so far for Wolves.
But Arias has actually been quite handy defensively so far, with Squawka data showing he is fifth for tackles made in the Premier League after three games.
Arias has made 10 tackles up to now, placing him fifth of all players. Only Tyrick Mitchell (14), Mats Wieffer (12), Elliot Anderson (12) and Moises Caicedo (12) have made more.
It’s more than any of his Wolves teammates, including top ball-winners Andre and Joao Gomes, and also one more than former Molineux man Rayan Ait-Nouri, who’s made nine for Manchester City.
Arias will come good for Wolves
It’s never easy for players to hit the ground running in the Premier League straight away.
Arias will need a bit of time to get fully up to speed and to start delivering consistently.
But it is promising to see him quite high up in this metric, if slightly surprising. It shows that Arias is quite an underrated ball-winner, and that will come in handy for Wolves.
He may not have pulled up any trees in an attacking sense yet.
But Pereira will appreciate this defensive contribution. And hopefully after the international break he can start outlining himself as a threat in the final third.
Pereira personally vouched for Wolves to sign Arias for a reason, and it surely won’t be long until we see his quality shine through.