Wolves welcomed 19-year-old Fletcher Holman to the academy in January, signing the young forward from Eastbourne to bolster the U21’s front line.
The January transfer window was a quiet time for Wolves, who failed to make any permanent purchases for Gary O’Neil’s first team, although elsewhere in the club there was a host of activity.
In the academy, James Collins saw his side bolstered by the arrival of 19-year-old Fletcher Holman, who joined from Eastbourne Borough after impressing in the first team.
Speaking to the club’s media, the teenager shared his thoughts on signing a deal with a Premier League academy and how easy his decision to commit his future to Wolves was.
What Fletcher Holman said about joining Wolves
The teenager revealed the differences between playing in an academy environment and playing for a first team at lower level, admitting that the pressure is on at youth level to achieve the same goal.
“This is all about personal development and everyone’s end goal is to be with the first team as quick as they can.”
Holman could have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Wolves captain, Max Kilman, who took a similar path to the teenager in making the step from non-league to Premier League academy.
The former Eastbourne sensation admitted that interest from the Old Gold left him with no decision to make, with his sights firmly set on joining the Midlands club.
“Getting to where you want to get to and playing the highest level you can, it was then a no brainer that I was always going to come here.”
While the stakes are extremely high inside a Premier League academy, Holman made a stellar first impression at Wolves with the U21, giving fans an insight to what he could offer to the club in the future.
What Wolves fans can expect from Fletcher Holman
It took Holman just three minutes of his first taste of match action for Wolves to net his first goal, scoring with a delicate finish for the U21s against Norwich City U21s.
The 19-year-old explained to the club’s media that such level of finishing should be expected from his playing style, admitting that defenders “hate” to play against him.
“I see myself as a natural goal scorer and I’m also quite a natural finisher. Scoring within three minutes of being on the pitch was definitely an insight into what I can bring.”
“I’m a threat to defenders and defenders hate it because they don’t like running the other way. As soon as you can get a defender turning, it’s horrible for them.”
It’s an exciting signing for Wolves, who are particularly short on out-and-out number nines, as the manager stressed after being without Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha last week.
“We just needed a natural No 9 that was going to be in and around the goal, sniff out chances and make the runs that No 9s make.”
It is certainly an interesting time for Holman to join Wolves with reference to his pathway to the first team, with fellow academy star Nathan Fraser now in and around the senior side due to lack of signings in that area in the summer.
By seeing the gap that is there for a natural finisher to occupy in the first team, the Old Gold could have pulled off a very clever signing in hiring Holman, who already has his sights set on pre-season.
“If I can get to pre-season, hopefully with the first-team, I can see what happens there.”
Having played one game and netted one goal, the academy jewel will certainly be one to watch in the future, with his mentality and ability already showing strong signs.