Wolves blog: Leo Bonatini is the right man up front

There is one player, in the pivotal centre forward position, who is splitting opinion – step forward Leo Bonatini, writes Wolves blogger Tom Tracey.

Some see the man on loan from Al-Hilal as lacking in pace and lacking in the skill and interchange-ability of Jota, Cavaleiro and the now available Helder Costa.

But Bonatini is absolutely crucial to the way Wolves play – and it will be with him in the side that Wolves have the best chance of promotion.

The unselfish Brazilian forward has played eleven times for Wolves this season, scoring three times.

This on its own isn’t an especially impressive statistic – you would traditionally expect a striker to score one in two if you harbour any ambitions of promotion.

But his goal scoring is backed up by four assists, meaning he has contributed directly to seven goals in his eleven games.

If he was to continue in this vein until May, you’d be looking at around 15 goals and 20 assists – which would be deeply impressive.

With Wolves’ 3-4-3 formation, a 20 to 25-goal striker isn’t as vital, as it is clear there will be multiple regular goal scorers.

Wolves have shown in the past themselves they can score plenty without having one or two scorers - in League One, when Wolves scored 93 goals in all competitions, the top scorers were Leigh Griffiths and Bakary Sako with 13 goals.

Already in this Wolves team, Jota has five goals and after Bonatini’s three there are a number of players with one or two goals.

While he will need to chip in with as many as possible, it’s tireless Bonatini’s dedication and hard work that Wolves require the most.

His three goals, all at Molineux, have come as a result of being in the right place at the right time.

On his debut against Middlesbrough, he was ready to pounce on a poor pass and finished on the edge of the box.

His other two goals, against Cardiff and Bristol, came inside the six-yard box.

His four assists, three of which were laid on for Jota to score, display his range of strengths.

His first, against Millwall, showed his physical strength as he held the ball up on the halfway line and allowed Jota to take it on and score a fantastic goal.

In the 3-3 thriller against Bristol, he flicked a corner on to the back post with his head for Jota to slide in.

His assist for the winner away at Forest showed his dedication to the team – he released the ball just as he was clattered, allowing Jota to finish.

His most recent assist, in the win over Barnsley, came late in the game as he laid the ball to N’Diaye to score in injury time.

People may judge Bonatini on his goals - but without Bonatini, Jota would not be shining as brightly as he has been.

Wolves really would be a poorer team without him – especially as there aren’t many other options in the squad in that position.

He is the epitome of a team player – just as players like Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Kevin Doyle have been in the past.

When he eventually has Costa on one side and Jota on the other, his goal and assist statistics could grow even further.

Make no mistake, Bonatini is a class act – and he is the right man to lead the line.