Wolves’ comfortable 3-0 win over Everton at the weekend was their third consecutive victory, which took them into 11th place in the Premier League.
Gary O’Neil has done a remarkable job since joining the club in the summer, with that result highlighting the progress made.
However, the Old Gold are still keen to improve their squad this January, with another attacker on the list of transfer targets.
Wolves transfers latest – Boulaye Dia
According to The Athletic, Wolves could look to revive their interest in signing Boulaye Dia from Salernitana this winter.
The Midlands side attempted to sign the Serie A forward towards the end of the summer, but they were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempt.
Dia is worth £17m as per Football Observartory, but outgoings at Wolves would have to occur prior to any agreements with the Senegal striker.
Boulaye Dia’s style of play
Wolves’ have been without a reliable striker since Raul Jimenez’s 17-goal 2019/20 season, with plenty of recruitment failures occurring over the last few years.
Patrick Cutrone, Fabio Silva, and Sasa Kalajdzic have all been signed for big money to supposedly solve that issue, but none of them have been able to impress the management or the Wolves faithful.
Raul Jimenez
67
13
Patrick Cutrone
4
0
Fabio Silva
72
5
Willian Jose
18
1
Hwang-hee Chan
84
20
Sasa Kalajdzic
14
3
Matheus Cunha
41
8
Diego Costa
25
1
This has left a void at the centre of the Wolves attack that they will finally look to address, and O’Neil will hope that Dia – who has been labelled a “monster” by journalist Jonas Adnan Giæver – is the answer that the Wanderers have been looking for.
Dia only made the permanent switch to Italy in the summer after impressing on loan at Salernitana last season, but he has been unable to mirror that 16-goal term in the new campaign. After 14 matches across all competitions, the former Villareal man has netted just four times, albeit his side are rock bottom of the Serie A.
Therefore, let’s look at his style of play via statistics from the last year across the top European leagues and how they compare to his positional peers.
Goals
0.50
Top 29%
xG
0.32
Bottom 77%
Goals/Shot on target
0.63
Top 1%
Carries into final third
1.83
Top 7%
Successful take-ons
1.33
Top 22%
Passes into final third
1.51
Top 20%
First and foremost, Dia is a goal-scorer, as proven by his 16 goals in 27 starts last season, but his statistics have been suppressed by just how poor Salernitana has been this campaign. His goal-per-game ratio is still respectable nonetheless, but his chances are limited, as shown by the fact that 77% of strikers in Europe's top five leagues have a higher xG than him.
That said, his goals/shot-on-target ratio is among the top 1% of strikers, highlighting that he is a clinical finisher. Wolves have missed a player that they can rely upon to score a goal even if they get only one chance all game, and Dia would provide exactly that.
Dia also offers a threat on the counterattack due to his ability to carry the ball into the final third and beat a man, which would suit O'Neil's side. This is reminiscent of Wolves striker Matheus Cunha, who is coincidentally classified as a similar player to the 27-year-old according to FBref’s player comparison model.
Overall, signing Dia for less than £20m isn’t a terrible move, as he would provide goals. Due to his current side's horrific form and performances, it is reasonable to presume that he would jump at the chance to join Wolves, and with Hee-Chan Hwang and Cunha alongside him, there is the potential that he could thrive.