Why signing Hwang Hee-chan would add more strength to Wolves

According to The Telegraph, Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers are targeting Red Bull Salzburg forward Hwang Hee-chan.

The 23-year-old centre-forward is one of their prime targets and would cost between €20m and €25m, the report adds.

Meanwhile, Wolves sporting director Kevin Thelwell was in Austria to watch Hwang in Salzburg’s defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday night, the report claims.

A permanent move for the South Korean, however, seems unlikely ahead of the January transfer window. Even if it does happen, it would witness Hwang being loaned back to Salzburg for the remainder of the season. (h/t Telegraph)

Nuno Espirito Santo has a small squad with just 24 players as of now. By all means, it would be a value-added addition if Wolves can rope in the highly-rated Hwang.

Hwang, on the other hand, has been excellent for Salzburg this season, scoring 9 goals and assisting 14 times in 22 games across all competitions.

To date, the youngster has played over 100 matches for the Austrian outfit and has 38 goals and 21 assists to his name since joining them in 2015. He is a three-time Austrian Champion (2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18) with Salzburg and has also spent a season on loan with Bundesliga 2 outfit Hamburger SV.

However, since returning from Germany after the 2018-19 loan spell, Hwang has been crucial to Salzburg’s success in the ongoing season.

Despite being knocked out from Champions League recently, Hwang has already made his presence felt at the European competition. The South Korean raised a few eyebrows with his eye-catching displays, scoring 3 and assisting 5 from a total of 6 games.

This has resulted in Wolves facing stiff competition from a number of English and European clubs waiting eagerly to land home the in-form forward, the report claims.

Wolves are defying all odds as they remain unbeaten in their last 11 league games. Much of Wolves’ success this season could be linked to their Mexican forward Raul Jimenez’s terrific form in front of goal, which has seen them score 23 goals this season.

The star striker has hit the target 6 times in the league and has also contributed with 4 assists so far. However, apart from him, the rest of the Wolves forwards have not been entirely successful.

Summer signings Patrick Cutrone and Pedro Neto have not had so much luck. Cutrone has scored just 2 league goals from 11 games while Neto has fallen down Nuno’s pecking order and is yet to open his account.

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• Why Wolves should plot a January swoop for Karlan Grant

Predominantly a centre-forward, Hwang has also been deployed on the wings by manager Jesse Marsch. His versatility in the attack could be used to maximum effect by Nuno, who at the moment has just three wingers – Adama Traore, Diogo Jota and Jordan Graham in his ranks.

Verdict

Apart from Raul, the rest of the Wolves forwards have not had major success so far. Signing the in-form Hwang will thus offer boss Nuno a quality back-up striker.

Moreover, Hwang’s flexibility as an attacker could be of immense help to the Portuguese coach, who could deploy him anywhere in the attack. His inclusion, by all means, would add more strength and depth to the Wolves attack.