This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
Wolves’ transfer window finally looks as though it’s kicking into life with various reports suggesting they could be about to add to their slim squad.
Patrick Cutrone has been linked per Express & Star as Wolves look to lift some of the burdens from Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota’s shoulders.
Given the fact the pair of them contributed to 27 goals between them in all competitions, the attack shouldn’t really be their first concern, even if they do have a lack of options.
Defensively, however, there are still some questions lying around who can play at right centre back.
Ryan Bennett was entrusted with playing the majority of the season there but Romain Saiss never convinced hugely, having a particularly poor game against Southampton as he let Nathan Redmond get a march on him before scoring.
Therefore, the potential addition of Ruben Dias could be game-changing.
The Benfica defender has a release clause of £57m in his current contract with the Portuguese giants but Express & Star claim Wolves are interested in his services.
How much he’ll actually cost remains to be seen, but if the ten cap international does indeed join, he can provide the club with similar traits as Conor Coady.
One of the Wolves skipper’s key traits is his ability to play out from the back and play between the lines, something Dias is also exceptional and arguably better in.
Based on the 22-year-old’s pass success rate, he is better than Coady who despite making fewer passes per game, also completes less overall, Per WhoScored.
The latter was ever-present in Nuno Santo’s Premier League side last term as he played on average 44.4 passes per game.
In the video below, find out which former Chelsea star could be set to challenge Raul Jimenez as top dog at Wolves…
Dias, on the other hand, made 58.3 on average each match.
The Benfica man was a regular at the heart of their defence last term, playing as the right central defender which could be incredibly beneficial if Wolves land him.
One area where Coady is better, however, is in terms of the long balls he plays forward.
He preferred to play the ball off the floor as opposed to his potential new teammate who appeared to keep things more simple.
As a result of their similar traits, a fascinating battle could play out between the two.
