Should Wolverhampton Wanderers give Bournemouth’s Benik Afobe a wide berth if the Cherries demand £10 million?
The Bournemouth striker seems to be available after failing to score in any of his 17 Premier League games this season – 12 of those came from the bench.
Wolves definitely need a striker as goal-shy Leo Bonatini continues to struggle for form, but Afobe wouldn’t be the smart move for Nuno Espirito Santo – and definitely not for the £10 million that Bournemouth reportedly want.
With an 11-point cushion in the automatic promotion spots, top-of-the-Championship Wolves are likely to be playing Premier League football come August and therefore it makes sense for Nuno to sign a proven Premier League hitman.
Afobe has 10 goals in 63 top-flight games, and what is the point of spending all that money on a player who, based on his goalscoring statistics in the big time, won’t help them stay in the Premier League?
If Nuno splashes the cash on a striker this month, it should be on one who can not only consolidate Wolves’ promotion to the top tier, but also have a proven track record of scoring goals up there.
Afobe was very decent in the Championship, scoring 22 times in 44 games during a previous spell at Molineux, but having an effective Championship striker means nothing in the Premier league.
The Portuguese manager need only look at Dwight Gayle – who has three goals in 21 games this season, after spearheading Newcastle’s promotion charge last term – to know that Wanderers will struggle next season if they don’t sign a very good Premier League goalscorer and Afobe isn’t one.
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