Can Willian Jose solve Wolves' striking woes?

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Bengaluru, February 1: Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered a massive blow in the early stages of the season with their star striker Raul Jimenez suffering a serious injury and it left the Midlands club in a difficult situation, something Nuno Espirito Santo's side have not experienced since they earned a promotion to the Premier League.

With Jimenez sidelined with a fractured skull in November, which left the club with only 18-year-old club-record signing Fabio Silva to call upon through the middle and the club were desperately looking to add a new striker to their ranks.

On 23rd January, the Midlands club completed the loan signing of Willian Jose from Real Sociedad, with an option to buy at the end of the season and although the 29-year-old is yet to find the net in his first two outings for his new club, he has all the ingredients to become a solid addition to the Wanderers.

Willian Jose signed for Real Sociedad back in the summer of 2016 and had a memorable spell at the Anoeta Stadium. The 29-year-old scored a total of 62 goals while producing 15 assists in 170 games for the Spanish side.

The Brazilian was Sociedad's top scorer as they finished sixth in La Liga last season with 11 goals to his name through 37 appearances. However, he wasn't quite as prolific for the Basque club in the first half of the 2020-21 campaign, netting just three times in 13 outings, but the 29-year-old is much beyond just a goalscorer. The Brazilian is more of a target man capable of bringing others into play and occupying defenders with his physical presence, something Nuno was badly missing following the injury to Jimenez.

Fabio Silva might be a player with a very high ceiling but the 18-year-old is not quite ready for the Premier League yet and especially lacks the physical presence needed to thrive in the top tier of English football. With Jimenez unlikely to return to fitness soon, Wolves simply could not afford to rely on just Silva and needed the extra firepower Jose will certainly bring.

Wolves currently find themselves 14th in the table and it goes without saying that they are capable of much beyond that. And, Willian Jose, with his physical presence, experience and holdup play, is certainly capable of helping Wolves thrive in the absence of Jimenez.