Last weekend, Wolves picked up a convincing 3-0 victory versus a stubborn Everton side, which puts them 11th in the table.
The Old Gold have now won four of their last six matches in the Premier League, winning all of their last three.
With Wolves’ upturn in form and some players attracting interest from elsewhere, Gary O’Neil will look to strengthen his squad this January.
Wolves transfers latest – Hee-Chan Hwang and Ismaila Sarr
According to Footballer Insider, Liverpool and Spurs are interested in signing Hee-Chan Hwang from Wolves this January.
As a result, Wolves could well need a replacement. That perhaps explains links to Ismaila Sarr from Marseille, who has been dubbed "top-class" by journalist Rob Blanchette. Reports last month suggested that the Midlands side were monitoring his situation in France.
A move is likely in January, with the Marseille winger estimated to be worth £13m as per Football Transfers, however, Wolves may have to see some outgoings to raise funds for the transfer.
Ismaila Sarr’s style of play
With Hwang seemingly on his way out in the summer, if not January, O’Neil must start to look for a replacement.
The South Korean is a versatile attacker who can play on the wing or as a lone centre forward, and playing in the latter has seen him develop into a clinical striker this season. The former RB Leipzig star has scored ten goals and registered three assists in 20 matches, which shows how difficult he will be to replace.
However, the signing of Sarr wouldn’t be a direct, like-for-like replacement for Hwang, with the ex-Watford star only playing as a winger, mainly featuring off the right.
This would suggest that either Wolves are interested in signing a true number-nine replacement or trusting Matheus Cunha to thrive in a striker role. The stats below from the last year across the top European leagues sum up Sarr’s profile.
Non-Penalty goals
0.36
Top 15%
Touches (Att pen.)
6.08
Top 8%
Progressive passes received
9.29
Top 27%
Goals/Shot on target
0.40
Top 14%
Carries into penalty area
1.61
Top 27%
Sarr has featured 21 times for the French club this season, and he’s scored four goals and registered two assists. However, since his move from Watford, he has struggled to nail down a spot in the starting XI, especially recently as Gennaro Gattuso has opted for a three-back formation with Jonathan Clauss playing as a wing-back.
This has impacted Sarr’s stats slightly this season, but he still ranks relatively highly for goals per 90 and touches in the attacking penalty box. The 25-year-old is athletic, extremely fast, and dangerous on the counterattack, which would see him thrive at Wolves.
O’Neil also deploys a three-back formation, however, he likes to play with two inverted wingers or attacking midfielders. If Sarr were to move to Wolves, then he would play the role of Pablo Sarabia at right forward. This would allow him to get closer to the box, where he can hurt the opponent by using his direct approach to cut inside and shoot on his favourite left foot.
It's evident Sarr wouldn’t be a straight swap for Hwang, but he could certainly have a positive effect on the squad. The ex-Rennes star was worth as much as £26.5m in the summer, but his troubled start in France has decreased that significantly. However, it is worth taking a punt on an attacker who has five Premier League goals to his name already.
