Wolverhampton Wanderers a.k.a Wolves have surprised everyone this summer with the high profile signing of Portuguese sensation Ruben Neves who completed a club-record €17 mil signing from FC Porto last week.
The Championship outfit are promotion favourites since last year’s Chinese takeover and the former Valencia and Porto boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been appointed as the new Wolves boss for the upcoming campaign.
He has convinced Neves to join his project and also loaned in defender Willy Boly from Portuguese giants. Santo is now looking to add more firepower upfront and as per our sources, the West Midlands outfit are keen to re-sign their former hitman Benik Afobe from Bournemouth.
T4O exclusive: We are being told that Wolves have put in a bid for Bournemouth forward Benik Afobe. The amount is unknown. #wwfc #afcb
— The 4th Official (@Official_T4O) July 8, 2017
Afobe joined the newly-promoted Cherries back in January 2016 for £10 mil and netted 10 times in 45 Premier League appearances during his one and a half year spell. However, his game-time has been limited last season as he found himself down the pecking order behind Callum Wilson and Joshua King.
Afobe only had 14 league starts (and 17 substitute appearances) and netted 6 goals in the process. Also, the arrival of veteran Jermain Defoe has further jeopardised his place in Eddie Howe’s starting lineup and the DR Congolese international is drawing interests from several Championship outfits.
Wolves are reportedly front-runners to acquire the marksman who will cost them around £10 mil, a similar fee that the Cherries paid for him last year.
There might be conflicts regarding the asking fee as Afobe did not play regularly since his Bournemouth move, but he has shown his goal scoring ability in Championship football and the fee is quite reasonable in such an inflated transfer market. Afobe netted 22 times in 46 league appearances prior to his Premier League switch and is capable of replicating a similar outcome if he returns to his former employers.
Afobe progressed through the youth ranks of Arsenal but never made a senior appearance for the Gunners. He spent years on loan with Championship and League One outfits before completing a £2 mil move to Wolverhampton Wanderers under Kenny Jackett back in January 2015.
Although his progress has been stalled with lack of opportunities, the 24-year old striker has years of football left in him and must look for regular game-time at this stage of his career.
Wolves, on the other hand, lacked an outright forward last season and Afobe’s arrival will raise their possibility of earning a Premier League promotion.
A move to Molineux thus makes sense for the 6 ft tall hitman who can prove to be a key contributor in Wolves’ exciting new project who are keen to add more prolific names alongside Neves and Boly for the upcoming season. The fee is not at all a concern and the fans, too, are delighted with the news of his possible return:
I’d take him all day long, guaranteed 20 goals, he had 10 by Jan in our rubbish side under jackett, got a permanent hard on at moment
— asa (@asarobinson207) July 8, 2017
