Wolverhampton Wanderers are on a wonderful run of form that has seen them secure three Premier League wins in a row following their defeat to West Ham United prior to Christmas, along with progression to the next round of the FA Cup.
Gary O’Neil has got his side playing well and getting results, but it is clear he will need to add another forward or two to his squad over the next couple of weeks.
Fabio Silva and Sasa Kalajdzic have been loaned out, while Hwang Hee-Chan is at the Asian Cup with South Korea and their forward options are looking sparse, to say the least.
There have been a fair number of players linked with a move to the Old Gold, yet the latest name rumoured to be on their radar is a player who is currently thriving in the Championship…
Wolves’ search for a new striker
According to Football Insider, Wolves are among a handful of teams showing Bristol City striker Tommy Conway with regard to making a potential swoop for the youngster.
The likes of Glasgow Rangers and Celtic are keen on taking him north of the border, while fellow Premier League clubs Nottingham Forest and Brentford are monitoring the player who has starred for the second-tier outfit recently.
The player still has 18 months left on his current contract, yet this could be the final chance for City to really rake in a big transfer fee for the centre-forward.
O’Neil needs someone who could arrive in the Midlands and contribute goals straight away and Conway might just be the ideal candidate for the job.
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Not only that, but he could even be an upgrade on Kalajdzic, who struggled this term following his recovery from a serious knee injury.
Sasa Kalajdzic’s progress at Wolves
The Austrian titan was looked upon as a solid piece of transfer business by former manager Bruno Lage when he joined for a fee of £15.4m from German club Stuttgart in the summer of 2022.
The striker netted 22 Bundesliga goals in just 52 matches for the club, and it looked as though £15m was going to prove a bargain should he replicate these figures in England.
Missing the entirety of his debut season was not in the script, however, after he suffered a serious knee injury on his first start for the club.
The 26-year-old managed to recover and went on to make 13 appearances for the Old Gold before moving to Eintracht Frankfurt on loan, scoring three times, yet he only managed to start three games during the first half of the season, and it was clear O’Neil did not place his full trust in the striker.
Hopefully, he can recapture the magic which saw him become such a big hit at Stuttgart, and he returns to the Midlands in the summer ready to challenge for a berth in the starting XI.
Conway, however, could be a big upgrade on the Austrian, while five years younger, meaning the manager could have plenty of time to develop the raw frontman.
Tommy Conway could be an upgrade to Sasa Kalajdzic
The England-born Scotland U21 international not only has more goals than Kalajdzic this season (eight vs three) but he has also taken more shots per game (1.6 vs 0.4) and a higher expected goals stat (5.34 vs 1.07) as the youngster has clearly proven his clinical nature in the penalty box.
According to WhoScored, both Conway and Kalajdizc are excellent in the air, excelling at headed attempts and finishing, which indicates that the City striker could be a similar sort of player to the former Stuttgart forward should he join the club this month.
His prowess in the opposition penalty area has been wonderful recently, and he has even been hailed as the next Jamie Vardy by his former manager Nigel Pearson following his excellent start to life in the Championship.
A move to Molineux could see him improve further, especially as he would be playing with far better players and O’Neil could certainly bring out the best in the 21-year-old who is surely destined for the top sooner rather than later.
What Tommy Conway can add to this Wolves team
The main answer is goals, and plenty of them if he is given enough chances in the penalty area.
The young sensation enjoyed a breakthrough season during 2022/23, scoring 12 goals and grabbing four assists across 38 matches, proving that he could be a standout in the City team.
Conway was even lauded as being on “absolute flames” by the Sky Sports commentary team during the early stages of his breakthrough season, and he has since carried this form into 2023/24.
|
Tommy Conway’s Championship statistics |
2022/23 |
2023/24 |
|---|---|---|
|
Goals |
9 |
6 |
|
Assists |
3 |
0 |
|
Shots on target per game |
0.6 |
0.8 |
|
Scoring frequency (minutes) |
213 |
204 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
0.3 |
0.2 |
|
Via Sofascore |
||
He did miss nine matches due to a hamstring injury earlier this season, but Conway has still contributed with eight goals, enjoying his biggest success in the FA Cup against West Ham United recently.
He scored against the Premier League side in the first tie, which ended in a 1-1 draw, before netting the winner in the replay at Ashton Gate earlier this week and his performance was hailed as “clinical” by Statman Dave.
Conway even has three international caps for Scotland at U21 level – qualifying through his grandfather – and has managed to open his account already, netting against Norway in a game where he was even made captain, and his future looks bright, to say the least.
Wolves could bring him to the Premier League this month and give him an ideal platform to continue developing, and it could be a shrewd move for all parties.
City will secure a decent fee for a player they have helped nurture, while the Old Gold will land one of the brightest attacking talents in the second tier and potentially go on to rake in a profit on him in the coming years.
O’Neil may have to move a player or two on this month in order to fund a move for Conway, but in the long term, it could prove to be a smart investment by the club.