Wolves squad of the century: The forwards
Some exceptional talents have donned a Wolves shirt over the past couple of decades.
From veterans with already-distinguished careers to young talents who broke through in gold and black, plenty of top players have graced Molineux.
But who would make the ultimate squad from those who have played at Wolves since January 1, 2000?
Well, with lockdown leaving plenty of us looking for stuff to do, we gave Wolves fans a bit of homework and asked them to come up with a 23-man World Cup-style squad.
In keeping with a World Cup format, there were just two rules.
Firstly, they had to name three goalkeepers, and secondly the squad had to have balance and cover in case of injury or suspension.
In total, 67 Wolves fans came back with their squads, so let’s go through the results – ending today with the forwards.
Forwards: Diogo Jota, Raul Jimenez, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Steven Fletcher
What a collection of strikers this is – all prolific, cold-blooded finishers. Yes, Jota could also be perceived as a winger, but he has thrived mostly as a centre forward for Wolves.
He has scored 15 goals in all competitions this season, including two Europa League hat-tricks, and – which may catch a fair few off guard – is the only striker to have made every submitted squad.
Partner in crime Jimenez, the scorer of 22 goals in 44 games this season and the club’s £32million record buy, made 66 squads – Matt Locke leaving the Mexican out.
It is fair to say Jota and Jimenez would be the first-choice strike pairing in this star-studded squad, but the back-ups are very strong as well.
Ebanks-Blake, who was the Championship top scorer for two seasons running when at his pomp, received a healthy 55 votes.
His career would later go on to be plagued by injuries, but his total of 64 Wolves goals means he is fondly remembered by gold and black followers.
With Ebanks-Blake not playing as much as he wanted to during those Premier League years under Mick McCarthy because of injuries, Fletcher took on the scoring mantle – earning him a place in this squad.
He got 12 goals in both of his top-flight campaigns at the club.
The next best in terms of votes, but missing out on the squad, was Irish workhorse Kevin Doyle (18). Kenny Miller was the other one to achieve double figures, with 11.
Benik Afobe, who had two-goal laden spells with the club, got nine and Nouha Dicko got five while Pedro Neto and Henri Camara received four votes apiece.
Finally, George Ndah, Dean Sturridge and Ade Akinbyi got a single vote each.
