Wolverhampton Wanderers only had three players in their squad who netted five or more Premier League goals last season.
Their top scorer was Raul Jimenez, but even he only managed a mediocre six strikes.
Now with his recent pre-season injury having ruled him out for several weeks, Bruno Lage has been left scrambling to find a replacement for both the start of the season and to be his natural successor.
Despite securing a deal for former loanee Hwang Hee-Chan from RB Leipzig, the final weeks of the transfer window leaves Wolves with a huge opportunity to purchase this successor and finally start to phase out the 31-year-old.
One man who has been linked with a move to the Old Gold in recent days, and who could quickly make fans of the club forget all about Jimenez’s absence, is Ben Brereton-Diaz of Blackburn Rovers.
Should Wolves sign Ben Brereton-Diaz?
Having amassed 169 appearances in the Championship at the age of just 23, the forward found particular success last season as the Lancashire club narrowly missed out on a playoff spot.
His 21 league strikes dwarf that of any Wolves player from last season and has proven that he has the ability to make the step up in leagues.
This meant that his minutes per goal was around 139, compared to Jimenez’s 441 minutes. It is no surprise to see him labelled a “marksman”, as his proficiency in front of goal makes him a constant goal threat.
He would thrive off the creativity of Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence.
However, his link-up play also suggests that he can offer more than just goals to Lage’s side.
Three assists is a modest return, but averaging 0.6 key passes per game and boasting a 73% pass accuracy outlines him as a solid if unspectacular performer, worthy of being dubbed “remarkable” by Jaquob Crooke.
Available for a reported £20m, it makes perfect sense for Scott Sellars invest in this forward who only seems to be getting better.
Should Lage feel the need to splash the cash on a new striker to dispose of the Mexico international, he should look no further than to Ewood Park, where he can snatch a readymade replacement with nothing but goals in his future.
