Tolu Arokodare was signed by Wolves as a Jorgen Strand Larsen backup, and because of the tactical fit.
Wolves’ Premier League campaign has offered little encouragement about the state of Vitor Pereira’s squad, but if you look hard enough, there’s always a positive to find.
That positive is a stat that Wolves rank second in, and it should suit the games of Tolu and Strand Larsen very well.
Wolves rank second in successful long passes in the Premier League this season
The attacking play hasn’t lifted Wolves fans out of their seats to this point.
Some of the more creatively inclined additions are still finding their feet, so Pereira has had to take what he can get in the opening weeks.
The Premier League Stats Centre shows that Wolves have made 75 successful long passes in the first three games, tied for second with Fulham and trailing only Man United.
If that kind of rate can be sustained, the potency of long balls should only increase when Tolu is involved.
At 6’6″, the Nigerian is a serious aerial threat with the strength to hold off defenders and provide an outlet. 6’4″ Strand Larsen is no slouch in a duel either.
The long balls are working for Wolves where little else is, and they certainly have the weapons now to make them even more effective.
Ladislav Krejci will be a valuable passing addition to the side, able to produce those same passes Emmanuel Agbadou likes to spray. Definitely a tactical area to keep an eye on.
There’s another promising Premier League stat that Wolves lead the way in
Like I said, you can always find positives if you don’t mind looking for a while.
Last season, Wolves were second-best in tackles won over the course of the season. After August’s action, they rank at the very top of the league in that stat.
No small thanks to new signing Jhon Arias, who is responsible for 10 of Wolves’ 44 tackles won.
The season may not have started as we hoped it would, but there has been so much change at the club that it was always going to be a difficult transition.
Pereira thinks the new signings will settle soon and Wolves can start playing attractive football. Early signs suggest long passing to big forwards and aggressive defence could be where Wolves differentiate themselves this season.