Jean-Ricner Bellegarde will feel on top of the world at the moment after a largely difficult first 18 months at Wolves.
Bellegarde was Wolves Player of the Month for February after transforming into an important player under Vitor Pereira.
The 26-year-old has since carried that form into March, assisting in the draw at home to Everton and grabbing two assists against Southampton before the international break.
Remarkably, Bellegarde was shortlisted for the Premier League Player of the Month award on Thursday, joining the likes of Declan Rice and Bruno Fernandes.
This recognition is what the Frenchman deserves after a trialling beginning to his time at Wolves, which saw Matt Hobbs make a clear prediction.
What Matt Hobbs said about Jean-Ricner Bellegarde in 2023
When Wolves captured Bellegarde for £12.8 million from Strasbourg in the summer of 2023, fans expected him to hit the ground running.
The attacking midfielder produced six assists for Strasbourg in the 2022/23 campaign and was predicted to provide such quality to the Wanderers by Hobbs.
Speaking in September 2023, he said of Bellegarde to Wolves official: “He’s a player the recruitment team flagged towards the end of last season, and he’s started this season very well.
“He’s athletic, technical and has ability to drive with the ball, and you can see from his goal and assist record that he’s had an excellent start to this season.
“He’s another player who adds to our depth and gives us something different. He will add creativity and he’s got good end product.
“With the runners that we have going forward, his athleticism from the middle of the pitch, as well as his strength and his ability to find that final ball – as he’s shown in France – will be really important to us.”
The point that stuck out the most in his assessment of Bellegarde was a sharp end product. Wolves fans didn’t see it straight away, with the midfielder returning just two goals and one assist in his first 22 appearances.
However, he’s now proving Hobbs right with eight goal involvements in his last 31 appearances for the club, including three assists in his previous two games.
Bellegarde in elite company for his assist numbers
In the absence of Matheus Cunha, Bellegarde has become the creative force for Wolves, floating down the flanks and wreaking havoc centrally.
The versatile attacker now has six Premier League assists to his name this term, and interestingly, this places him in some elite company.
| Premier League players with six assists in 2024/25 so far |
| Jean-Ricner Bellegarde |
| Kevin De Bruyne |
| Cole Palmer |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold |
| Ollie Watkins |
Bellagarde has matched some of the division’s best for this metric, including Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne, Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who looks destined to join Real Madrid.
When Gary O’Neil was in charge, this level of form couldn’t have been predicted from the Frenchman but now he’s showcasing his true potential under Pereira.