It has been a busy summer at Molineux for Wolverhampton Wanderers so far. The Midlands club have made some moves in the summer transfer market, whilst also having some major outgoings, as they hope to improve on their impressive 14th-place finish during the 2023/24 campaign.
Firstly, the outgoings, one of which went through just days ago. Portugal international Pedro Neto left Molineux to join Chelsea for a fee of £54m, a deal which was confirmed on Sunday. Gary O’Neil’s side also sold club captain Max Kilman to West Ham United, as he linked back up with former manager Julen Lopetegui, joining for £40m.
So far, the money made from those sales has been spent sporadically. Jorgen Strand Larsen joined on loan, and Tommy Doyle signed permanently for the club after spending the previous season on loan from Manchester City. They have also signed Rodrigo Gomes from Braga, who could be a direct replacement for Neto, and young Brazilian right-back Pedro Lima.
However, O’Neil’s side are not done there when it comes to incomings. The Midlands club could also strengthen up front and have recently been linked with one Premier League player who could bring quality and experience in the striking department.
Wolves target Premier League striker
The player in question here is West Ham and Jamaican international striker Michail Antonio. The 34-year-old centre-forward could leave the London Stadium in the wake of Niclas Fullkrug joining the Hammers after an injury issue and sporadic minutes hampered his season in 2023/24.
According to an exclusive report from GiveMeSport, O’Neil and the Wolves scouting department have ‘been monitoring’ the striker’s situation this summer, with just one season left on his current deal.
However, they might not be the only side thought to be interested in a deal for Antonio during the 2024 summer window. The report from GiveMeSport explains that the Midlands side are one of ‘a host of clubs scoping out whether Antonio is available’ for transfer this summer.
A price for the Jamaica international has not yet been named by West Ham, although it is safe to assume it will be fairly low given his contract expires in less than 12 months time. In fact, he is valued at just £3.3m by Football Transfers, which seems like a fair representation of his price.
Why Antonio would be a good signing
Although he struggled for fitness at times during the 2023/24 campaign, Antonio still featured 26 times in the Premier League, getting on the scoresheet six times and grabbing two assists. That was a record that included a run of four goals in the final ten games of the season.
The 34-year-old, who was described as “unplayable” by former Hammers boss Harry Redknapp, is actually the East London club’s top goalscorer in the Premier League era, netting 67 times in the competition.
Name
Goals
Length of spell
Michail Antonio
67
2015-present
Paolo Di Canio
47
1999-2003
Mark Noble
45
2005-2022
Jarrod Bowen
43
2020-present
Carlton Cole
41
2006-2015
Signing the Jamaican would certainly bring experience to the Wolves forward line and add goals to an attack that boasts the likes of Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-chan. In fact, there are statistical comparisons to be made between the South Korean forward and Antonio – as noted by FBref.
As per FBref, last season in the Premier League, the 27-year-old had an expected goals tally of 7.7xG, compared to Antonio who averaged 5.8xG. Per 90 minutes, that breaks down to 0.33 for the Wolves forward and 0.31 for the West Ham man, a very similar tally. They also have a similar amount of shots each game, with Antonio averaging 1.59 and Hwang 1.87.
Antonio is also an effective ball carrier, and actually averaged more progressive carries per 90 minutes to that of Hwang last season. Specifically, the 12-time international averaged 2.55, compared to just 1.57 for Hwang. That is a trait that would certainly stand him in good stead in O’Neil’s transitional system.
There are certainly plenty of similarities between the pair, and they could be an effective duo up front, especially given Antonio’s carrying ability and Hwang’s natural poacher’s instinct in the penalty box.
Should Wolves get this deal over the line, it could be an astute capture and a perfect move for O'Neil. The former Bournemouth boss would be adding an experienced top-flight striker with 67 goals in the competition to the squad for a small fee, which could help provide his side with the edge to climb up the table.
It could be a wonderful piece of business for the Molineux outfit.
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