Wolves wanted to re-sign Benik Afobe in the summer and Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has now had his say on the striker’s future.
Wolves are flying high right now and, if they maintain their current trajectory, there’s little reason to believe that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will not cruise back to the Premier League this season.
After sweeping past Midlands rivals Aston Villa 2-0 at Molineux on Saturday, Wolves displaced Cardiff City at the top of the Championship table and enhanced their status as bonafide promotion favourites.
If there is one weak link in a star-studded squad, however, it’s at centre-forward. The summer sales of Nouha Dicko and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson means Leo Bonatini is the club’s only senior striker at the moment.
And while the Brazilian has proved an intelligent acquisition, taking his league tally to five with the clinching goal against Villa, an injury or a loss of form would leave Nuno’s side light up top. Though any hopes Wolves may have had about bringing Benik Afobe back to Molinuex in the New Year now appear to have been scotched.
“I don’t know how many appearances Benik has this season but he has been involved in most games. He is a huge part of our plans,” Afobe’s manager at Bournemouth, Eddie Howe, said in quotes reported by Goal.
“You always want your players to show the attitude that they want to achieve and I’ve got no problem with any player saying they want to play in any game.”
Afobe, who moved to Bournemouth after a prolific spell at Wolves in January 2016, has started just two Premier League games this season and most recently featured for the Under-23s, scoring a hat-trick against Norwich City.
The Sun reported on transfer deadline day that Wolves had a £15 million bid rejected for their former striker as he wanted to fight for his place on the South Coast – a feeling reciprocated by his manager.
It looks as if Wolves will have to look elsewhere to complete their jigsaw in January.
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