Comment: Patrick Cutrone’s Italian job could benefit Wolves
In a week that saw his agent rubbish reports of a Wolves exit, Patrick Cutrone’s brief return to the land of the pizza and the pasta could be the answer to goals in gold and black.
Donato Orgnoni was left baffled by rumours of a permanent return to Italy for his client when confronted by SampNews.
“We’ve never thought of leaving Wolves. I don’t understand why certain news comes out,” he said.
“He remains in England one hundred per cent.”
Cutrone himself has spoken of his awareness that it will take time to adapt to life in the Premier League. An adjustment and time-frame his boss Nuno Espirito Santo knows all about given his history of recruiting players from overseas.
Wolves’ squad is jam-packed with Portuguese and continental players who have all adjusted to life in Wolverhampton.
Adama Traore’s story is an example that should give the Italian forward hope and it seems Cutrone is following in the current wing-wizard’s footsteps.
It is well known that Nuno likes his players to be versatile.
We’ve seen with Traore, Leander Dendoncker, Romain Saiss and Matt Doherty that being able to adapt to a different position is key to excelling at Wolves.
And, perhaps, more proof of Cutrone’s desire to stay at Molineux was his statement of intent in last weekend’s Italian job that saw him net twice in a 3-0 win over Iceland under-21s.
The forward has mainly featured in an out-and-out striker role since joining from AC Milan in the summer.
He had played on the wing at times for the Italian giants and his return to goal-scoring form coincided with a return to a left-wing role for the U21 side.
If Cutrone had a say in that shift then he must be applauded for his intelligence.
The move did not just give him goals but now gives Nuno more options up front.
With a shift away from 3-5-2 in recent weeks Cutrone has been battling it out with Raul Jimenez for the central striker role of a front three.
But with Jimenez already on 13 goals in all competitions for Wolves this season – just four off last term’s tally – there will be no usurping him anytime soon. The Mexican maintained his goal standard with two for his country on international duty too.
And despite a mammoth journey back from Mexico, with modern recovery protocol and Wolves’ supreme sports science department on the case, the in-form forward will no doubt be raring to go at Bournemouth today.
It seems from a footballing point of view, if not psychological standpoint, a whiff of the Italian air has done Cutrone the world of good.
And with Jimenez’s jet-setting bound to have an impact at some point, Traore and Diogo Jota both having injury issues thus far this term, there will be a chance for Cutrone to build on just two goals from 19 appearances.
