Only tasting defeat once since taking on the reins, it’s safe to say Vitor Pereira has been a success story so far at Molineux.
Indeed, before the brand new Portuguese manager was situated in the Wolverhampton Wanderers dug-out, the beleaguered Old Gold had lost four Premier League games on the spin with Pereira’s presence clearly galvanising the once downtrodden group.
But, although Wolves now have more than a fighting chance at staying up, the popular manager won’t be resting on his laurels anytime soon, with plenty of January business presumably in the works starting with this loan deal being made permanent.
Jorgen Strand Larsen's future at Wolves
As per recent reports, it looks as if a deal for Jorgen Strand Larsen to remain in the West Midlands for good is underway, with the Old Gold having to fork out £23m to outright land the Nordic striker’s services.
Whilst that might seem like a hefty amount at first glance, he has proven this season for his relegation-threatened outfit that he can find the back of the net in tense games, with an impressive seven top-flight strikes under his belt.
Only Matheus Cunha can boast more goals in Premier League action this campaign for Pereira’s men with ten, with it now looking more and more likely that the promising Scandinavian forward will walk away from parent employers Celta Vigo this January to call Wolves his fixed address.
That is unlikely to be the only attacking addition – with Wolves already bolstering at the back with the capture of Emmanuel Agbadou – as Pereira eyes up a swoop of this tricky gem who could shine alongside Larsen.
Wolves pursuing move for their own Bowen
As per a report by French outlet FootMercato late last week, Wolves have Toulouse ace Zakaria Aboukhlal near the top of their transfer list in January, with the Morocco international causing Ligue 1 defences all sorts of bother this campaign.
Indeed, the ex-PSV Eindhoven youngster turned French top division superstar has helped himself to a stunning six strikes for Carles Martínez Novell’s men from 17 league appearances during 2024/25, leading to Wolves now sniffing around.
Away from delicately finishing off chances like this sublime goal above, Aboukhlal has been praised for being a “physical monster” in the past by football journalist Hanif Ben Berkane, seen in his average of 3.3 duels being won per Ligue 1 contest this campaign.
He has even drawn comparisons to West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen, according to FBref, in terms of both players in question being slick and agile attackers who are also prepared to fight and battle for their team’s cause, with the table below demonstrating their similarities further.
Stat – per 90 mins
Aboukhlal
Bowen
Games played
17
19
Goals scored
6
5
Assists
2
4
Total shots
3.08
2.70
Shot-creating actions
1.99
3.28
Progressive passes
1.41
2.48
Progressive carries
1.99
3.42
Touches in attacking penalty area
5.33
5.43
Progressive passes received
8.26
5.96
Aerials won
0.94
0.56
Stats by FBref
Looking at the table above, Aboukhlal does play in a similar way to Bowen – who has scored 66 goals in 243 games for the Hammers – as a marauding attacker, but actually betters his English counterpart in terms of total shots averaged per 90 minutes over the last year, on top of receiving more progressive passes.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
Therefore, the Moroccan forward could be argued to be a more selfish player in attack than Bowen who could then boost Wolves’ output up top, with a potential there for the 24-year-old to strike up a great partnership with Larsen so Pereira isn’t overly reliant on Cunha to deliver the goods.
Capable of playing all across the forward positions, with 22 of his career clashes even coming from the striker spot, the £5k-per-week target looks like a gamble worth taking this January from Wolves’ perspective.
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