Wolves’ early business in the January transfer window has left Gary O’Neil with a clear area of need that must be addressed before the deadline at the start of February. Two strikers have left Molineux on loan, with Sasa Kalajdzic joining Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt and Fabio Silva heading north of the border to sign for Rangers.
You couldn’t really describe either of the duo as key players – they started just four Premier League games between them, and that’s why they were both made available – but what they did offer O’Neil was depth, and now he must replenish his centre-forward ranks. Fortunately for Wolves fans, it looks like the club are hard at work at finding a replacement.
Wolves battle Palace and Arsenal for Mayoral
According to TEAMtalk, Wolves are interested in Getafe striker Borja Mayoral. They’ve been keeping “close tabs” on him and could make an offer this month to furnish O’Neil with the “new focal point” he desires. It’s also noted that Mayoral shares the same agent as Wolves defender Hugo Bueno, and the Midlands outfit may be able to capitalise on that pre-existing relationship if they decide to move forward with a deal.
They’re not the only Premier League side in the race, though. Crystal Palace have also been watching him, and while Arsenal are admirers too, it’s thought to be “unlikely” that he joins Mikel Arteta’s title-chasers this month. Mayoral is apparently valued at £20m, with Getafe sticking to their financial model of selling players for a considerable profit. The Spaniard only cost them around £8.5m when he joined from Real Madrid in 2022.
Clinical Mayoral can combine with Wolves frontline
A product of Los Blancos’ youth academy, Mayoral had loan spells with Wolfsburg, Levante and Roma before he eventually settled with Getafe. He’s been a big hit for the La Liga club, scoring 29 goals in 78 games, including an impressive 14 in 22 this season.
Journalist Zach Lowy has described his form this term as “red-hot”, while transfer insider Dean Jones has seen enough to bill him a “goal machine”. That moniker is justified when you consider that only Real’s Jude Bellingham (13) has out-scored him in La Liga this season, with Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann (11) and Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski (eight) among those lagging behind his tally of 12.
He’s not just up there in Spain either – he’s also eighth in the overall leaderboard for Europe’s big five leagues, edging out Wolves’ primary marksman Hwang (10).
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It should be noted that Mayoral has buttressed his tally with four penalties, but it’s not as if he’s had an easy ride. He’s actually out-performed his xG by 3.3 this season, which makes him the fourth-most clinical player in his league.
And to increase his appeal to O’Neil even further, there’s more to his game than just goals. He ranks between the 70th and 83rd percentile, set against fellow forwards in comparable leagues, for passes attempted per 90 (24.93), pass completion (76.1%) and progressive passes per 90 (2.73), which shows his propensity for dropping deep to link-up with teammates. For £20m, the 26-year-old could be a steal.
