Wolves’ summer signings have yet to truly impress, but Jhon Arias, more than any other, has been the biggest disappointment, and an underlying reason could be behind it.
The Old Gold lost a lot of players over the summer, and those names were not adequately replaced. The squad is far weaker than it has been over the last few years.
That has been made evident by Wolves’ league position. They are at the bottom of the Premier League, and relegation looks almost certain but not guaranteed at this stage.
Jeff Shi has finally changed his mind on the summer window, after previously believing it was a good one for the club.
And Wolves’ marquee arrival has yet to hit the ground running.
In your opinion, what has gone wrong for Jhon Arias at Wolves?
Jhon Arias is fifth for most minutes played over the last three years
Jhon Arias rarely gets injured, and that is proven by the sheer amount of football the Colombian has played over the last three years.
CIES Observatory has done a study on the most robust players in the world, and over a three-year span, Wolves’ summer signing ranks quite high.
Arias comes in as the fifth highest for minutes played, playing 15,864 over this three-year period. The winger has played 195 matches, which equates to 65 games a year.
| Minutes played | Player | Appearances |
| 16,880 | Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United) | 192 matches |
| 16,428 | Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) | 199 matches |
| 16,310 | Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica) | 187 matches |
| 16,040 | Gustavo Gómez (Palmeiras) | 184 matches |
| 15,864 | Jhon Arias (Wolves) | 195 matches |
So far this season, the former Fluminense man has not looked like the player Wolves had thought they had signed, and that has led to reports linking him away.
Wolves are reportedly open to letting him go, as long as certain conditions are met.
Munetsi and Arias for Wolves this season 👀
One has to go, who are you selling in January?
However, his struggles to adapt to Premier League football may be down to him being run into the ground over the last few years.
It can be hard to adapt to a league as intense as England’s top flight as it is, and playing so much football before experiencing it can be harmful.
Additionally, his preparations heading into the season, through no fault of his own, were not ideal either.
Jhon Arias has had no break from football
With the Brazilian league’s schedule, Jhon Arias has been playing football since January, and due to Fluminense’s participation in the Club World Cup, he has not had much of a break from the sport.
He has essentially played football non-stop from January to December.
Recovery in football is important, and players cannot constantly keep playing with the expectation of maintaining high performance levels.
Arias has not been good enough for Wolves, but maybe he has also not been given the right conditions to succeed either.
As it stands, it looks like the Colombian’s future lies away from Molineux, but until then, even seeing a glimpse of the talented star the Old Gold bought would be welcomed.
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