Wolves have made a steady start to their season following a last-gasp victory away at West Ham United on Saturday. The West Midlands team may be struggling to score goals up top at the moment but have some shown signs of promise. Nuno Espirito Santo has often depended on a front three of Diogo Jota, Raul Jimenez and Helder Costa to lead the lines, but none of them has been prolific so far this season.
Early Promise But Recent Misery
To be fair, both Jota and Costa have acted as playmakers from wide areas while Jimenez has been tasked with scoring the goals, leading the attacking line. The Mexican international registered a goal on his first league outing at home against Everton winning his side a point on the opening day. However, since then, he has come close to scoring but is yet to add to his goal tally. Jimenez was guilty of missing a sitter versus the Hammers last weekend, so he needs to improve a lot if he wants to keep his place in Nuno Santo’s first-team.
Potential Opportunities To Shine
Wolves are about to embark upon a favourable run of league fixtures after the international break with home matches against Burnley, Southampton and Watford looming on the horizon. Hence, there would be no shortage of opportunities for Jimenez to shine in front of the Wolves supporters at the Molineaux Stadium.
Past Track Record
Even during his time with Benfica, the 27-year-old was never prolific in front of goal with just 31 goals and 15 assists to his name in a total of 120 appearances for the Portuguese club. However, Jimenez is still learning his trade and is about to hit his peak years, so we can expect a lot more from him in the coming months.
What Does Jimenez Offer To Nuno Santo’s Team?
The Mexican frontman is a well-rounded centre-forward who has moderate pace and dribbling ability but can be a ‘fox in the box’, using his physical attributes, which makes him a nuisance for the opposition defenders. But he still needs to work on his link-up play with his teammates and needs to develop a more powerful and dominant frame if he wants to be a success in the Premier League.
Final Verdict
Jimenez could surprise a lot of people if he manages to reach double figures at the end of his debut season in the top tier of English football. He has all the makings of a great centre-forward, but it will take him some time to adapt to the physicality and high intensity of the Premier League.
