Wolves Blog: Rating the midfielders at Molineux
As Nuno takes over the helm at Wolves, I looked back over the midfielders he will inherit in the coming season.
The central midfield is an area many consider to be one of the weakest in Wolves’ squad, despite the vast number of players in this position, writes Wolves blogger Tom Tracey.
Following on from last week’s blog where I rated the forwards and wingers at Wolves, here is my appraisal of Wolves’ midfield.
Morgan Gibbs-White
Making his debut aged just 16 in the FA Cup win at Stoke, he is a player who stormed through the age groups ahead of his peers.
He looks very good with the ball and looks able to fulfil a role whether it is playing in the centre of the park, behind the forward or wide.
He was one of the success stories of Paul Lambert’s reign and looks as though he could become a star.
Grade - B
Connor Ronan
Yet another of Paul Lambert’s debutants, his set piece ability is up there with the best of them at Wolves, and despite his diminutive figure he did not seem to get bullied whenever he played.
Like Gibbs-White, he suffered an injury which kept him out of the latter part of the season, but he already looks better than most of Wolves’ central midfielders.
Grade - B
Romain Saiss
A mixed first season for Saiss: He has undoubted ability with his passing range but seems to suffer from lapses in concentration which create key chances for the opposition.
When Wolves play three in midfield, he seems to drop so deep he splits his own defence in half.
He definitely has room to improve.
Grade - C
Joao Teixeira
Started the brightest of the Portuguese imports last summer, including one remarkable run from the corner spot into the box, before narrowly putting his shot over the bar.
He scored two goals in a win over Brentford, but became ineffective during Zenga’s regime, being subbed off in the first half in one game, and he never really appeared for Wolves again before leaving in January.
Grade - D
Prince Oniangue
He scored a couple of goals for Wolves, with late runs into the box, but you fear he will not make it at Wolves, as with Tongo Doumbia, another French midfielder Wolves signed in 2012.
Wolves didn’t miss him when he left on loan to Bastia.
Grade - D
Jack Price
It seems to be a repetitive feature of Price’s Wolves career that he is in and out of the team.
It may be best for his career, despite Wolves triggering his contract extension, if he moved to a club where he would play more often.
Sometimes he contributes as an important cog in the wheel, but other times he is a big factor in the midfield being overrun.
He is a player that, like Dave Edwards, splits opinion among fans, but you would question whether he could make the step up to promotion contention.
Grade - C
Lee Evans
Having signed a lengthy contract until 2020, it would appear the Wolves’ hierarchy hold Evans in high regard.
He started regularly at the beginning of the season but an injury ruled him out for a long period.
Like Price, he is a player that is probably lower-Championship quality but no more.
However, he was called up to the Wales training camp squad for the first time this summer, which indicates he is highly thought of by Chris Coleman.
Grade - C
George Saville
A versatile player who featured regularly under Paul Lambert.
Of him, Price and Evans, if you were going to keep one of them it would probably be Saville.
He is fairly consistent if unspectacular but is the type of squad player you need.
Grade - C
Dave Edwards
Without Dangerous Dave’s ten goals, who knows what may have happened to Wolves this season, though he did tail off towards the end of the season.
He is one of the nicest footballers at the club, and is obviously proud to play for the club.
He is the definition of a ‘Marmite’ player though, with half deriding his footballing ability and half applauding his work rate and heading.
There must be reasons why a string of managers have all stuck with Edwards over the years.
In the 2008-09 Championship winning season, Dave Edwards played the most games out of anybody at Wolves.
Crucially, however, almost half of the league appearances came from the bench.
He has a knack of scoring late goals (think Leeds and Fulham at Molineux) and harnessing his energy from the bench could get the best out of him.
