29 Oct 2026 22:11:59
Number 7
CF
Of course I should have done wide forwards before CF but this is surely the easiest one to analyse.
Regardless of if you are looking at this season, next season or the financials CF is a total and utter catastrophe!
Although the side is currently 4th in the league over the last 8 games - 4 wins, 3 defeats and a draw - the side has only scored 7 goals
Of those 7 only 2 have been scored by C Forwards - 1 for Armstrong and 1 for the now long term injured Raul.
Although a poster pointed out quite correctly that a series of 1-0 wins will lead to promotion, sadly that is just as likely as the poster who suggested that Wolves could sell the entire first team squad and buy a far better side on frees!
Consequently Wolves need to find ways of scoring goals without a proper CF for at least the next couple of months.
Wolves allegedly have 3 options for CF but in reality I would argue that currently they don't have a single viable one!
Neave sadly looks like a little boy way out of his depth and was clearly a very silly and desperate signing. He will not be around next year, so a pointless signing.
Armstrong bought last season for fairly serious money - for a player bought effectively for the Championship - and put on serious money, for a championship player, has shown that he is not a CF, or for that matter a WF - as I will argue when I do eventually write the WF post.
I think he is probably better playing off of a 9 as a 2nd forward.
However given the manager's formation preferences it is hard to see him playing there that often so I'm not certain where that leaves him - other than struggling on as a not very good CF.


If Wolves do go up Armstrong surely has no role to play and if they don't you are back to this season but surely his wages become an even greater albatross for the club so I suspect he will have to be moved on!
Raul, when he was signed, I thought would be a great signing. However I assumed he was going to be the cherry on the cake not the cake! He was never going to be able to play the full 90 mins for the entire season but I thought he was going to be a fantastic dressing room/training ground leader and would also - as he did - massively raise morale at the club.
Not only has this obvious assumption come screamingly true but it appears that he has been put on insane money - why?
Who were Wolves bidding against for his signature that he would have been keen to sign for?
If Wolves go up he clearly won't have a role to play so like Trippier he was a £10m punt on promotion and probably like Trippier he will also struggle next season even if Wolves are in the Champ.
In conclusion Wolves have spent a lot of money on players who almost certainly won't contribute next year and were never going to be much more than peripheral/support players this season.
This is made even worse when one realises that, for example, Lankshear was available for relatively modest, (I have posted twice before that Boro obtained Lankshear and Cozier Duberry for approximately the same money Wolves paid for Said and Bertrand Traore), money.

1.) 30 Oct 2026
30 Oct 2026 00:14:41
The problem was always gonna be that we were one injury ( especially Raul ) away from a serious problem up front, This has been exacerbated by the ridiculous decision to send 3 international central strikers out on loan for the season ! Absolutely barmy !!! Still think Rodrigo will be crucial moving on, maybe even as wing-back. FWAW.

2.) 30 Oct 2026
30 Oct 2026 07:55:30
In my post of 28th I stated that bar a centre forward who can hold the ball up and put himself about (and obviously score a few aswell) we have more than enough quality in forward areas for this division. Unfortunately, mainly it seems due to attitude issues, Tolu was let go as he would have fitted the bill.

Come January this shortcoming should be addressed as a priority but it's likelier that there will be more pussyfooting around from the recruitment team as they fail to land their fish. Here's hoping I'm wrong.

3.) 30 Oct 2026
30 Oct 2026 08:58:49
Good postTFIG. If we had not witnessed Wolves player transactions, you would not believe it. As others have stated the 9 needs serious attention in January, it is a gaping hole right now.

4.) 30 Oct 2026
30 Oct 2026 09:19:14
So, understanding that we need a suitable number 9 in order to put in a serious push for promotion who would be likely targets?

5.) 30 Oct 2026
30 Oct 2026 10:36:17
Are there any decent premier number 9s that we could take on loan for the rest of the season, who could put away the chances we are making, but not taking.

6.) 30 Oct 2026
30 Oct 2026 11:01:38
Great post tfig i like what your doing i enjoy the views u do with this section and look forward to the next. I dont have any names but we definitely need a striker.