Wolves could get a replacement for dream Guedes who is “a handful for defenders”

Vitor Pereira time in Wolverhampton Wanderers so far it has been somewhat successful. It was a poor start to the season for Stara zlato, who found themselves in the relegation zone for most of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.

However, their new boss, Pereira, turned things around in a season that looked set to end in relegation. His team won two games, drew one and lost one so far during his tenurewith the best performance a convincing 2-0 win over Manchester United.

The entire Wolves squad certainly seems rejuvenated since Pereira took over. One of the contributors who seems to have a new life is Goncalo Guedes.

Guedes’ season 2024/25

It’s been a bit of a mixed bag for Guedes so far in the 2024/25 campaign. Under former manager Gary O’Neill he was a bit of a part of the squad and didn’t really get many chances from the start. Having said that, his Premier League tally for the season under the former Wolves boss was good, with four goals and an assist.

Under new Old Gold manager Pereira, who like Guedes hails from Portugal, has started three of the four games and made one appearance from the bench.

In the first game of his tenure, Guedes scored and assisted in a 3-0 win at Leicester City. His season tally now stands at two goals and four assists in 17 games.

In Wolves’ last game against Nottingham Forest at Molineux, the former Barcelona star struggled and showed the form he was in under O’Neill.

It got 5/10 by Charlie Haffenden, Birmingham World reporter. He was critical of the fact that Guedes lost the ball in the opening of Forest’s opener, which was scored by Morgan Gibbs-White.

With such inconsistencies from Guedes, it could be a problem for Pereira, who will need players to maintain their good form for longer. The Portuguese boss may want to bring in a new signing to play as one of those number 10s, who could possibly replace Guedes in the long term.

They connect with one player who could be the answer.

Wolves’ dream replacement for Guedes

The player in question is a Newcastle United star Miguel Almiron. As reported earlier this weekOld Gold are one of three Premier League clubs offered the chance to sign him this winter.

He is likely to face competition for his signature from League One counterparts Crystal Palace and Leicester. As for the price of the Paraguayan winger, he could cost upwards of £21 million this January.

There is an argument to suggest that Almiron wouldn’t be a huge upgrade on Guedes given the fact that he has yet to score or assist this season in 11 games in the Premier League. Eddie Howe played with him only 136 top minutes this season.

That said, there is clear evidence that Almiron can explode in the Premier League when given the chance. The Paraguayan striker once scored 11 goals and registered two assists in 34 games in one season, 2022/23.

That far surpasses Guedes’ best campaign in the English Premier League, the current campaign in which he has six goals. Statistically speaking, when comparing two seasons via Squawkathey are actually quite similar.

The pairs are tied for the number of goals in 90 minutes, 0.4 each. However, Almiron’s ability to carry the ball stands out. In 2022.23 he averaged 1.4 completions per game compared to Guedes’ 0.6 this season. The Newcastle star also averages more turnovers, with 5 compared to 3.6 for the Old Gold forward.

Perhaps by adding Almiron to that team, ultimately replacing Guedes – who has been linked with January output in recent months – would add a little more attacking threat to this Wolves side. As football statistician Statman Dave saidcan be a “fist for veterans”.

Although they are close in terms of goals per game, the Paraguayan can continue his successful streak, as he has already shown.

For £21m this seems like a really smart investment and one that could help Wolves survive the slump and build on that in the seasons to come under Pereira.