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As Sunderland striker Danny Graham looks to fill the gap up front, Daniel Sherriff looks at whether he is the man Wolves need?
When the news that Wolves have signed Danny Graham on loan appeared on my twitter feed, it light up a stressful afternoon. I thought that this is a sign of the club’s commitment to a promotion push and recalled the prolific spell that he had a Swansea in 2011-12, when he caught the admiring eyes of many football fans. Once, I had left work and I had time to really consider the signing I began to think that it is not the signing which the team really requires.
First of all, I do not think that Danny Graham suits our system. Our recent success are built on Dicko running into the flanks and stretching defences, which makes space for our midfielders to flood into. So far none of Dicko’s replacements have come close to rivaling him in this role. I cannot shake the feeling that Graham will also struggle to be as effective. Therefore we would need to adapt our play in order to get the best out of Graham, which may not be such a bad thing. In recent weeks opposition sides have sussed Wolves out and we have suffered a few poor results. When we play Nottingham Forest, having the potential to play in two different styles would definitely be a benefit.
Since the season at Swansea in 2011-12 it is difficult to say with confidence what Graham has been doing. After a successful first season he was limited to just 18 appearances in the following season. He then secured a £5 million move to Sunderland and since then his career has stalled somewhat. This means that his spell with us could go one of two ways; he could use it as a springboard to force himself back into the Sunderland first XI, or we could have another Sagbo situation, whereby he is not fit enough to make a real impact. Let’s hope it is the former.
Ultimately I admire the clubs ambition by signing Graham, who I do not doubt would have courted interest from many other clubs. But I feel that Wolves still require at least two more signings to force the promotion push back on track. I am sure that the powers that be are working on it but I believe that cover for the injured Edwards and a centre back are a must. If the club continues to show the same level of ambition and drive to sign these players then December could be a very productive month.
Daniel Sherriff
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