Rayan Ait-Nouri has been one of several outstanding players for Wolves – but there is one thing can do to take his game to the next level.
From comparing current fortunes to their pre-season expectations, Wolves are having a terrific season.
The majority expected the Wanderers to be battling towards the bottom but when they travel to the AMEX to take on Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday, Gary O’Neil’s troops have a chance to leapfrog them into eighth position in the table.
O’Neil deserves huge credit for working miracles with the resources he has at his disposal.
Hwang Hee-Chan has been transformed into a clinical goalscorer, Pedro Neto is an assist machine and Joao Gomes is a sensational ball-winning midfielder.
On top of that, Rayan Ait-Nouri is quietly becoming one of the best wing-backs in the division.
How good has Rayan Ait-Nouri been this season?
In the 3-4-3 system typically deployed by O’Neil, he requires his wing-backs to push high up the pitch and this benefits Ait-Nouri down to the ground.
The Algerian international, who is currently on AFCON duty, has become a staple of the successful formula O’Neil has created at Molineux.
Ait-Nouri is someone who has benefitted from the freedom he’s been given to effect the game in the final third and his exceptional performances have helped drag Wolves up the table.
A player known for his lung-bursting runs and ability to beat his man, the 22-year-old ranks highly against his positional peers for various attacking metrics.
According to FBref, he ranks in the top 1% across Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons in the past year, the top 9% for fouls drawn and the top 20% for non-penalty xG.
Ait-Nouri is equally good at going the other direction, placing within the top 10% for tackles won and the top 25% for ball recoveries.
So, how can he take his game to the next level?
Ait-Nouri needs to supply a better end product
In the modern game, the wing-backs at the summit all have one thing in common; they’re relentless when it comes to delivering in the final third.
If Ait-Nouri wants to reach the levels of Trent Alexander-Arnold or Jeremie Frimpong, for instance, he has to start producing goal contributions.
In the Premier League this term, he is yet to score or assist for Wolves and his best season in that department came in 2021/22 as he scored once and racked up four assists.
Although this is only a minor criticism for a player who is having an outstanding campaign so far, the 4-cap international can place himself into the conversation of the best wing-backs by being ruthless in the opposing half.
He has shown glimpses of achieving that but, the wing-back – who was once hailed by Ruben Neves as “fantastic” – now has to show it consistently.