Wolves’ recruitment strategy has come under-fire recently – and arguably the club really missed a trick not moving for a player they faced against Burnley yesterday.
Wolves remain bottom of the Premier League table, after losing 3-2 to the Clarets at Molineux.
Burnley were much the better side in the first-half, and went 2-0 up thanks to a brace from Zian Flemming.
Wolves managed to get back on level terms despite playing so poorly, with Jorgen Strand Larsen scoring from the penalty spot and Marshall Munetsi equalising with a header.
Wolves then tried to break Burnley down in the second-half but couldn’t create many big chances. Jhon Arias went close from a free-kick, and Santiago Bueno with the last kick of the game.
But Wolves came up short, in a game where they really needed three points.
Wolves’ squad is undoubtedly worse than it was last season, and those involved in the recruitment must take responsibility.
The players – none of whom had previous Premier League experience – that have come in aren’t doing the business. But one player Burnley brought in certainly is.
Wolves missed a trick not moving for Kyle Walker
Kyle Walker left Manchester City permanently in the summer, following a loan stint last term at AC Milan.
He won everything with Pep Guardiola’s side, and is widely regarded as one of, if not the best right-back the Premier League has ever seen.
Of course, he is no longer in his prime.
But this season has shown that he is still playing to a very high level.
Walker has been an ever-present for Burnley, and has been key in their impressive start that has seen them take nine points. WhoScored’s average match ratings for the Burnley squad this season see Walker sit seventh in the squad, which is fairly impressive.
Against Wolves on Sunday, for the most-part he locked down his side of the pitch, giving Rodrigo Gomes very little throughout and winning the physical battle with relative ease. Gomes got most of his joy when he moved away from Walker.
And there was one moment late in the second-half when he used his recovery pace to brilliantly snuff out a breakaway being led by Marshall Munetsi.
Walker cost Burnley just £5 million.
He is likely on very high wages, which may or may not have been a reason Wolves never pushed. But so far, he is showing that it’s money well spent by the Clarets, whose recruitment team deserve praise for the signing.
Having just come back up, they recognised the importance of having someone like Walker and all his experience and leadership.
Walker’s Premier League experience could have been invaluable
Of course, one player who left Wolves in the summer was Nelson Semedo.
Semedo was largely a very dependable player for Wolves, who was always likely to be missed once he moved on. He also had leadership qualities.
Walker was very briefly and loosely linked with Wolves in the summer, but seemingly there was never any push to sign the 35-year-old.
But he was the exact kind of player Wolves were crying out for, given what was happening at the time.
Semedo was leaving, and so were a host of other players that had a large amount of Premier League experience.
Walker has been a top player for many years and has a winning mentality. That Wolves seemingly did not try to sign him looks like a complete missed opportunity.
And it’s made even worse when you look at the likes of Brentford and Sunderland, who signed Jordan Henderson and Granit Xhaka respectively in the summer. Both had transformative impacts, despite their advancing years.
Unfortunately, players like Walker, Henderson and Xhaka just don’t fit the recruitment model at Wolves, with the club preferring to sign younger players with high ceilings in the hope they can be sold for a lot more money later down the line.