Some Wolves fans are a tad disappointed today following Gary O’Neil’s admission the club can’t do two transfer deals they’ve been working on – but it may have been music to the ears of Nathan Fraser.
O’Neil has wanted to bring in a new striker this month, and a host of names have been mentioned since the window opened, such as Che Adams, Danny Ings, Hugo Ekitike and Armando Broja.
But 25 days into the window, Wolves are yet to make an addition.
And it’s now looking touch and go as to whether O’Neil will be able to bring in that new centre-forward he has craved so much, with the Molineux head coach delivering an update at his press conference today…
Wolves manager Gary O’Neil gives update on new striker search
O’Neil appeared before reporters today to take questions ahead of Sunday’s huge FA Cup game against West Bromwich Albion.
As well as giving some team news, O’Neil shared where Wolves are up to regarding their pursuit of a new striker – and it’s not good news.
Apparently the club have been looking at two players in particular and despite O’Neil recently saying he was ‘confident’ he’d get someone in, it now looks like Wolves could be struggling.
He said: “Me, Matt Hobbs and the recruitment team have done an awful lot of work on a couple of options
“We had a meeting yesterday and it looks like they’re not going to be doable financially for us, at this point. We’re back to looking at other options that we might be able to do.
“It’s disappointing firstly because we felt like we were making some headway on a couple, but it looks like they’re not going to be doable.”
A chance for Nathan Fraser?
O’Neil says Wolves are looking at other options, but he’s also stated that he won’t just sign a new striker for the sake of it. The player who comes in has to be someone who will improve the team and really wants to play for the club.
It might be that he and Matt Hobbs are unable to do anything, in what ultimately is always a tricky window.
So this might well be a chance for young Nathan Fraser, who may be feeling encouraged by the manager’s comments today.
Fraser has made a few cameo appearances for the first-team so far, and has scored two goals and made an assist.
He’s given a good account of himself, and O’Neil may actually have no alternative but to put his faith in the youngster to be backup to Matheus Cunha, with Sasa Kalajdzic and Fabio Silva having both been loaned out.
O’Neil – who hailed Fraser after his goal against Brentford in the FA Cup – said recently that he didn’t want to rush Fraser’s development, but he may now not have much of a choice.