This summer, Gary O’Neil hopes to bolster his Wolves team even more. One guy in particular stands out as a gifted player who may step in to cover a significant need.
The 2023–24 season came to an unimpressive conclusion last week, marking Gary O’Neil’s first year at Molineux.
After a promising season, Wolves finished in 14th place after earning just five points out of a possible thirty in their final ten Premier League games.
O’Neil made sure that his team exceeded the previous season’s point total by five despite the fact that their form faded in the latter stretch of the season.
Although the Englishman’s first season as manager could have gone much worse given the situation he walked into days before the season began and having to play with a limited group, it could also have ended much better.
Financial difficulties forced Wolves to release a number of elite players in the summer of 2023, including Raul Jimenez, whose resume leaves a gap that needs to be addressed and which O’Neil might fill this summer with a potential signing.
The summertime must see Wolves focus on Serhou Guirassy. The versatile Hwang Hee-chan is the only forward the manager has mentioned wanting more in his lineup, especially a consistent number nine. This desire to have more forwards has been voiced throughout the season.
Given that the Old Gold were connected to Serhou Guirassy, a forward for VfB Stuttgart, O’Neil might be persuaded to reassess a target from January in light of this.
The 28-year-old’s extremely low price—he has a release clause of just €17.5 million (£15 million)—may persuade Wolves to fight for him once more.
In the 2023–24 Bundesliga, Guirassy was only surpassed in goals scored by Harry Kane, suggesting the talent he may bring to O’Neil’s team should interest resurface.
Raul Jimenez was a number nine for the Wolves, but after he sustained a potentially fatal brain injury in 2020, his form drastically declined. Serhou Guirassy may be Gary O’Neil’s replacement.
The Mexican scored 30 goals in the 2018–19 and 2019–20 seasons, a prolific run that the team hasn’t experienced since, and was a key factor in the Old Gold’s Premier League triumph under Nuno Santo.
The search for the next Jimenez may come to an end this summer if Wolves were to make the £15 million offer for Guirassy, who has proven to be a dependable goal scorer, now that Nuno’s marksman has left and O’Neil has cemented his place in the starting lineup.
The Stuttgart forward established himself as one of Europe’s most proficient strikers during the 2023–2024 campaign, outconverting Premier League Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland (22%), with a conversion percentage of 30%.
We need to hear again about the influence Jimenez’s presence had on Wolves, and the following table shows that, when comparing the Mexican’s best season at Wolves to the Bundesliga star’s 2023–24 campaign, Guirassy may be just that.
A striker as clinical and dependable as the Stuttgart marksman is rare, let alone for a price of just £15 million, which should particularly thrill Wolves. Scout Antonio Mango hailed the Stuttgart marksman as “unstoppable.”
O’Neil will be hoping that history does not repeat itself after losing out on Viktor Gyokeres last summer owing to financial difficulties, and Guirassy turning out to be a risk worth taking.
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