Wolverhampton Wanderers are ending their Premier League season with a whimper as they lost for the fourth time in their previous five top-flight matches.
The latest defeat looks to have ended any ambitions of securing a top-half finish during Gary O’Neil’s debut season in charge, but there have been plenty of positives.
Not only did the manager finally get the club firing in front of goal, finding the back of the net 50 times with one game to play, 19 more than last season, O’Neil has also built a solid core to his squad which he will be hoping to retain ahead of next season.
Could he be about to add to it in the coming weeks? One transfer target looks set to become available on a free transfer in a month…
What Gary O’Neil has said about Wolves' summer plans
During his pre-match press conference last week, O’Neil discussed Wolves’ current situation concerning the summer transfer window.
“I don’t think there will be money available to us if nobody leaves,” said the manager.
“If we decided not to sell a big player there may be some bits and pieces we can do. We have some players out on loan that have value and we might be able to do some bits. The club is expected – in the foreseeable future, maybe not long-term future – to be able to fund itself so we need to be able to work with that.
“Of course these things can change so I’m not committing either way, but I wouldn’t expect it to be a summer where we spend millions of the club’s own money on players.”
As such, this particular target would fit the brief perfectly.
Wolves could sign free agent from the Premier League
According to TEAMtalk, West Ham Untied have prepared a final contract offer to present to Ben Johnson with the hopes that he will remain at the club beyond this summer.
The report goes on to state that the defender looks set to snub an offer as he seeks to leave West Ham and become a free agent.
Everton, Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Rangers are all showing interest in the Englishman ahead of potentially making a move, but Wolves are a team who are also on the list.
Johnson has plenty of Premier League experience yet has failed to become a regular in the West Ham side this campaign.
That said, he could be an interesting replacement or competitor for Nelson Semedo.
Nelson Semedo’s statistics this season for Wolves
The right-back only has one year left on his current contract at Molineux, which means this summer represents the last proper chance for O’Neil to sell him in order to recoup a decent transfer fee.
The manager said he was “desperate to keep” Semedo at the Old Gold for the foreseeable last week, but moving him on while signing Johnson on a free transfer could potentially be the best thing from a financial point of view.
The defender has started 35 Premier League matches this term yet has created only two big chances while averaging just 0.7 key passes per game.
Assists
1
Key passes per game
0.7
Big chances created
2
Successful dribbles per game
1.5
Possession lost per game
14.3
Via Sofascore
He has succeeded with 1.5 dribbles per game – a success rate of 64% – but having registered just one assist in the top flight, this ability to beat his opponent out wide has certainly come in vain.
Defensively, the Portuguese defender has lost possession 14.3 times on average, while winning just 44% of his aerial duels, suggesting that helping his side when they don’t have the ball isn’t exactly his strong suit.
Semedo is a reliable option to have in the squad, but Johnson could certainly shine for Wolves if given the chance, especially judging by his statistics from his time on the pitch during the current campaign.
Why Ben Johnson could be a great signing for Wolves
The 24-year-old has been forced to play a peripheral role at West Ham during 2023/24, starting just seven matches this season in all competitions, featuring 22 times in total with David Moyes having preferred Vladimir Coufal at right-back.
Stuart Pearce dubbed Johnson “a wonderful professional to deal with and work with” back in 2021, but it is looking increasingly likely that he will be leaving the club when his current deal expires.
Despite not playing that often in the league this term, the Englishman has still managed to showcase his abilities by recovering 3.5 balls, winning 2.6 total duels and succeeding with 0.8 dribbles, all per game, all while averaging just 39 minutes per game.
Not only that, but the defender ranks highly in a few metrics when compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues.
According to FBref, Johnson currently ranks in the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90 (1.47), the top 14% for aerials won per 90 (1.47) and the top 20% for total shots per 90 (0.98) over the previous 365 days, giving glimpses of his attributes.
While Semedo ranks slightly higher for successful take-ons per 90 (1.51), the Wolves man ranks in the bottom 30% for aerial duels won per 90 (0.65) and the bottom 61% for total shots per 90 (0.54), giving Johnson the edge with regard to these performance metrics.
Much will depend on whether there is serious interest in the former Barcelona defender this summer for O’Neil to consider selling but if a decent offer comes in, it could prove to be fairly difficult to turn down, especially as it looks like he will need to move a few players out before signing anyone for a transfer fee.
Luring someone like Johnson to the Midlands would not only allow the manager to strengthen his team but to do it without splashing a single penny on a transfer fee.
Wolves hit the jackpot with a star whose value has skyrocketed 351%
Wolves have a player in their squad who is now worth five times more than when they signed him in 2021
ByRoss KilvingtonMay 6, 2024
