Wolves were yesterday linked with a move for Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke.
The Sun claimed the 31-year-old had emerged as a target for Wanderers, who are now down to just one striker following the loan departure of Fabio Silva.
The 20-year-old completed a move to Anderlecht for the upcoming season, meaning Bruno Lage currently only has Raul Jimenez to call on.
Apparently Wolves are keen on Benteke, who is now into his final year at Selhurst Park.
The link certainly comes out of the blue, and the development has not gone down particularly well with many Wolves fans on social media.
And it’s easy to understand why there is frustration.
Wolves need to be bringing in someone who is somewhat prolific. And Benteke just isn’t that player.
He scored just four goals last season.
His record for Palace is 37 in 177 outings, which is pretty poor given how long he has been playing in the Premier League.
He looked a terrifying proposition during his Aston Villa days. Those days were a long time ago now, and it was his move to Liverpool in 2015 that seemed to start his demise.
He spent just one season at Anfield before moving to Palace, where he has regularly been the butt of the joke from rival fans for his performances.
Palace are said to be open to selling, but Wolves should not be tempted to move.
He may have appeal due to being in the final year of his contract, meaning a swoop likely wouldn’t break the bank.
But arguably, Benteke isn’t the answer to Wolves’ clear goalscoring issues.
Wolves moving for Benteke would be baffling
It really would be a huge shock if Wolves did go in pursuit of Benteke given his struggles in recent years.
Wolves are crying out for someone to just stick chances away.
Some will argue that Benteke has an aerial presence and can link play by being a target man. But Wanderers already have a player that can do that in Jimenez. He is surely too similar to the Mexican.
And arguably, Benteke wouldn’t fit a Lage system that demands players to press. According to fbref data, he was in just the seventh percentile for pressures made per 90 last term (with 9.43 per 90). For context, Jimenez was in the 51st percentile for the same metric, making 15.22 per 90. And Silva, who has just left, was actually in the 98th, making an incredible 23.44 per 90.
And then there’s the notion that Benteke doesn’t fit the transfer policy of signing young players with potential to be sold on for a high fee.
The club may well spring a surprise by signing him. And he should obviously get the support of everyone if he does come in. While it’s just speculation at this point though, it certainly feels like a strange potential move.