Here’s why Bournemouth should beat Wolves sign Karlan Grant
According to The Sun, Premier League sides Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers are engaged in a transfer battle to sign in-form Huddersfield striker Karlan Grant during the January window.
Englishman Grant had caught the attention of Premier League clubs after his red-hot form in the Championship this season.
With nine goals and two assists (from 15 games) to his name, the 22-year old had joined Huddersfield in January from League One outfit Charlton Athletic, for a sum of £2million.
While playing in the Premier League before being relegated last season, Grant had raised few eyebrows by scoring 4 goals in 9 matches.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth has had an applaudable start to the season. They sit seventh in the table, five spots ahead of Wolves.
Cometh the transfer window, Bournemouth have more reasons to put pen to paper for this Huddersfield hotshot than Wolves. Let’s have a closer look at some of them.
No new strikers
Bournemouth, who finished 14th last season, did not bring any new strikers this summer but decided to stick with their old guards – Callum Wilson and Joshua King. The in-form duo had amassed a total of 27 goals last year.
Bournemouth, however, sold their 22-year-old forward Lys Mousset to Sheffield United this summer but retained young Dominic Solanke, who had joined them from Liverpool.
Wilson and King have continued their last season’s form as they already have 8 goals between them so far.
Nevertheless, football is a contact game and injuries are a constant threat. Signing an in-form Karlan Grant would offer them a back-up plan in case of injuries.
Moreover, Grant could add more firepower to their arsenal and also offer Eddie Howe plenty to choose from.
Problems elsewhere
Wolves, on the other hand, have had a rather bumpy this season. The Wanderers have won just two matches but drawn seven, which has put them in the bottom half of the table this year.
Manager Nuno Espirito Santos, who prefers a 5-4-1 formation and plays with a lone striker upfront in Raul Jimenez, has found success, with the latter netting 5 times and assisting twice from a total of 11 matches.
The Mexican, who struck 17 goals for Wolves last season after being loaned from Portuguese side Benfica, has backed up his credentials this season too. He earned a permanent move this year to Wolverhampton for a club-record fee of £30m.
Nuno’s aspirations of an ambitious finish this season were made even clearer with the signing of Italian striker Patrick Cutrone from AC Milan for £16million.
The Italian has scored just once in five league appearances and has a lot of work to do before getting acclimatised to the English conditions.
With two assists each, Portuguese midfielder Joao Moutinho, and Jimenez remain Wolves’ primary chance creators. This provides an insight into the fact that the problems lie elsewhere for Wolves, and not in the attack.
Undoubtedly, Wolves’ midfield has lacked creativity and has struggled to open up the opposition. Right-back Matt Doherty and young winger Diogo Jota look like a shadow of their past.
Verdict
At the moment, Grant would be a good catch for both sides considering his age and form.
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However, Bournemouth should overcome Wolves to make a move for the youngster as this would give them options aplenty in the attack. Meanwhile, for Wolves, real issues lie in the midfield and not up front.