Edwards could drop Angel Gomes by offloading the Wolves star to a new position
Wolverhampton Wanderers travel to Brentford tomorrow night with a new sense of confidence coursing through their veins.
Of course, it is still highly unlikely that Rob Edward’s Old Gold will be relegated to the Premier League, given that they are 12 points behind Nottingham Forest in 17th place.
But, back-to-back wins against Aston Villa and Liverpool have rightly raised optimism levels at Molineux, where the season has long been plagued by misery.
A third win on the trot at Brentford will certainly make the West Midlands titans believe even more that survival can somehow be achieved.
Edwards will be tempted to make some changes on the trip to the Bees, however, with Angel Gomes likely to drop out of his first-team squad, despite an encouraging start to life at Wolves.
Why Edward can’t dump Angel Gomes
The player who played for Manchester United would have welcomed a return to English football and the Old Gold, after he only made ten appearances for the Red Devils, before moving to Lille, then his parent employers in Marseille.
He has now returned to normal pastures, after securing a loan move to Molineux in January, and has flashed glimpses of the Premier League club, with three decisive duels won against Slot and Co.
However, in the long run, it is unlikely that Gomes will fully commit to Edwards’ side and pull the £5m permanent button, with reports already suggesting that the Englishman will only break the bank if Wolves somehow stay in the Premier League against all odds.
This will be a sad development, as the 25-year-old had started Wolves’ last two games against Liverpool.
But, this allows Edwards the opportunity to see which other first-team personnel can step into that attacking role, staying for a while after Gomes, as he could start the long-serving Molineux player in a different form than his usual one, when he travels to the G-Tech Community Stadium later today.
The Wolves star could be let go for a new position
Swapping Gomes for another face may not be the only change Edwards is considering for the game in London, as Jose Sa could return to form to face Keith Andrews’ men.
Going back to Sa wouldn’t be a brave call, though, considering he made five big saves during Liverpool’s 2-1 win. Although, starting Hwang Hee-Chan from the start, in an unusual attacking midfield position, would appear to be a very bold change.
Still, there’s method behind the madness, here, as Hwang deserves a start against Brentford – even if he’s in Gomes’ natural place – after scoring a consolation try for the reigning Premier League champions in the FA Cup.
Edwards is unlikely to drop Tolu Arokodare as his lone striker, given the former Genk man has impressed as a focal point, meaning his South Korean counterpart will have to recover to make the starting XI.
|
Hwang’s career record for the position |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Games |
Terms + Help |
|
CF |
185 |
64 + 37 |
|
LW |
49 |
9 + 5 |
|
RW |
33 |
5 + 3 |
|
AM |
9 |
0 |
He has excelled in this department before, with an impressive 22 goals falling into his lap on the right or left side, when he moved from his usual role as a central midfielder.
His dynamic nature even saw him named as a “good” asset to have at Molineux by previous manager, Gary O’Neil, as he prepares to break his goal streak and help the duck as a ten-man, against the Bees.
Hwang has an outstanding goalscoring record against Brentford, too, with three career goals to his name against Andrews and Co. from the previous four meetings.
So, this could be an inspired change in the starting line-up, if Edwards gambles on leaving Gomes out, as a third successive Premier League win would give the beleaguered Old Gold the belief that they can stave off relegation by surprise.
More important than Mane: Edwards got gold from Wolves’ “amazing” star
Wolves have plenty of quality to help them return to the Premier League before relegation.
