Wolverhampton Wanderers Transfer Window 2012 Preview
With two weeks almost gone, Wolves are one of the only club's to have spent money, but what will the rest of the transfer window hold for Mick McCarthy's men?
By Wolves' supremo Steve Morgan's own admission, this season has not been good enough for Mick McCarthy's men, and there is certainly a lot to be done in the second half of the season if the former Irish international is going to repay his Chairman's faith and guide Wolves to safety. Trouble is, there isn't an awful lot of money available at Wolves - with estimates suggesting somewhere around £4m for the right player with experience at the top level who can bring immediate on-pitch gains to the struggling club - and January isn't a buyer's market. What is immediately obvious, regardless of who money is spent on, is that McCarthy needs his team to score more and concede less - at the minute their stats read like relegation fodder, and no amount of spirited displays will rescue Wolves if the end of the season comes and those figures have continued to worsen. The business that McCarthy has already completed this early in the window shows he has intentions to sort things out, and the capture of Emmanuel Frimpong from under the noses of numerous league rivals is something of a coup provided the volatile youngster can realise his potential, and not just his potential to get sent off.
What They Need
When January started, McCarthy's priority was in midfield - but now that he has brought in Eggert Jonsson from Hearts and Emmanuel Frimpong from Arsenal on loan, he must look at sorting out his defence. Frimpong will add a lot, sitting in advance of the back four and offering protection and greater ball retension, and hopefully keeping the goals against figures down a little more than up until this point, but Wolves could certainly do with another quality centre half as they have leaked the most goals (36) outside of the bottom three. Richard Stearman shows promise, and might come into his own a little more with the protection of Frimpong in front of him to cut down the big man's need to play too much football, so McCarthy might see any money available as better invested elsewhere in the team. Like upfront, where Steven Fletcher has done well but Kevin Doyle has scored just 2 in 15 appearances so far this term, Andy Keogh has checked out, and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake doesn't look fancied anymore. If they can't get someone firing, then a loan deal to add another option upfront might be the best option for McCarthy. Carlos Vela anyone?
Outgoing?
McCarthy would do well to heed the words of Steve Morgan, who refuses (at least right now) to sack the manager because stability is key to the long-term, and to short-term survival: currently Wolves have a reasonable enough squad with Jamie O'Hara and Roger Johnson representing good permanent additions to the squad at the start of the season. What they don't have at the minute is form, or confidence, and splitting up the team too much will serve only to open up more cracks. One player who could be on his way out is Andy Keogh, who has affirmed his desire to return to former club Leeds, where he enjoyed a popular loan until the start of this month. Whether the two clubs can hash out a deal, with Leeds notoriously frugal these days remains to be seen, but noone wants a player on the books who has so openly admitted to wanting a move. So, Wolves fans - who do you want to see brought in this month at Molineux, and who has outstayed their welcome? Let us know below.