What an instant effect Vítor Pereira he made in Wolverhampton Wanderers.
When Gary O’Neil was fired in mid-December, the Wolves had just lost four straight Premier League matches, winning just three of their last 26 since early March.
Therefore, few would have predicted that Pereira’s reign would begin with back-to-back victories, Leicester and then flipping Manchester United on Boxing Day, before earning a credible 2-2 draw with Spurs last Sunday; Jørgen Strand Larsen scored late on to equalize from a sharp angle in north London.
However, on the eve of the clash on Monday night with Nottingham Forestat Molineux, only goal difference keeps Wolves out of the bottom three, meaning fans must still be worried.
After this, Old Gold’s next five league opponents are Newcastle, Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Liverpooltherefore, Pereira will surely be eager to strengthen his squad in January.
The Champions League winner could sign for Wolves
According to reports from Turkey outlet Sabah SporWolves are in talks with the agent of former Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech to sign him.
Currently with Galatasaray, the report suggests that Ziyech is no longer training as he looks to push through a January move, after not even making the bench for the Süper Liga leaders’ last three games.
Ziyech burst onto the scene during his time with Ajax, a key figure when they reached the Champions League semi-final in 2019, which he deserved moving to £33.6m Chelsea, with whom he won the Champions League, before being kicked out following a change of ownership.
The Moroccan then moved to Galatasaray in August 2023 for a fee of around £3 millionmost notably scoring two free-kicks in the same game as the Turkish giants held Manchester United to a 3-3 draw in the Champions League.
Now, out of favor in Istanbul, start only three games so far this season, Ziyech is likely to be available at a reduced price. One journalist on the continent claims that he will move this month “without a doubt”, with Wolves seemingly leading the race for his signature.
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How Hakim Ziyech would improve Wolves
As Sam Dean of the Telegraph documentedZiyech earned the nickname “The Wizard of Amsterdam” during his time at Ajax, with The goal that describes it as “magic”.
However, now, approaching his 32nd birthday, how good is Ziyech and how does he compare to Hwang Hee-chana player he would certainly like to replace in the top three, besides Matheus Cunha and Jørgen Strand Larsen?
|
Comparison of Ziyech and Hwang (22/23-24/25) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistical |
Ziyech |
Hwang |
|
Appearances |
64 |
88 |
|
minute |
3,130 |
4,876 |
|
Objectives |
10 |
21 |
|
Assists |
9 |
7 |
|
Progressive mounts |
37 |
70 |
|
Progressive additions |
71 |
74 |
|
Actions to create a shot |
57 |
84 |
|
Throws into the penalty area |
32 |
20 |
|
Throws into the penalty area |
12 |
5 |
As noted in the table, Hwang and Ziyech are very different players.
The South Korean is a goal-scoring striker, scoring in Wolves’ last two matches in the Premier League against Man United and then Tottenham.
In contrast, Ziyech is a creator, collecting 81 assists during his time there at Ajax, as well as 13 for Chelsea, which underlines his abundance in both passes and crosses into the penalty area.
Given that the Wolves have fourth lowest xG figure of any team in the Premier League this season (19.4), the main creator could be just what Pereira’s side need this month, highlighting why Ziyech could be both an opportunist and an insightful addition to their fight against the drop.
