The Afobe question

[Peter_Knowles_Ghost]

I'd consider keeping him as a late-game impact striker; something different, when or if we're chasing the game, but I would definitely want a top-class signing in the summer in the centre-forward role. I think we will keep him or Bonatini and let one go, and if that's the case, then I think Afobe has got slightly more going for him than Leo. Bonatini has surprised me this season (well, the first half of the season, anyway), but I don't think he'll cut it in the Prem.

 

[b3h]

I really don't know. I don't think I will be fussed either way. If Nuno thinks he adds something to a Premier League striker force, that is good enough for me #fencesitter

No from me FWIW. However, if Nuno believes that Ben has the required attributes then who am to argue?

Same, if Nuno believes he is worth it then I'm in. I don't really think he is though, so I voted no.

 

[StuardoWulf]

Yes from me because he can finish, a pre-season with Nuno who will polish him up and he can be a real threat. I believe we will create chances but unlike this year (where we've pissed the league) we won't be able to miss so many. Can Leo also have a pre-season with the squad and improve? probably. Neither would be hard to unload and will become more valuable with premier league games. But we may spend big and need neuther only the club know which way they would want to go.
FWIW I think from 9th down (top six + Everton and Leicester aside) the PL is basically championship standard and we could boss that group we with our current team.

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

I'm not really fussed either way. I suspect we will probably sign him but without knowing what our targets/budget will be in the summer I cant say whether we'll need him or not.

He has proved in both spells with us that he is an excellent finisher. The doubts with him are how well he can fit into our system at a higher level but if Nuno thinks he can make good use of him then I'd trust him on that.

If you're spending £10m on a striker from an English club then you probably won't get much better value than Afobe (just look at Hugill for example). However, if we have bigger and better striker targets lined up then I wouldn't be bothered if we sent him back to Bournemouth.

 

[pr0sl0]

I've been thinking a lot about this question, and I've realized, belatedly, that I'm sort of in a similar place to where I was this time last year RE: the question of whether to keep Lambert as not. Back then I wasn't exactly delighted about Lambert's half season in charge, but I also didn't particularly think he'd done so badly as to deserve the sack—especially when Fosun's record of appointing new managers had been mediocre up until that point. Of course, I was massively underestimating Fosun's standards, in part because I myself was also still in the pre-Fosun mindset. The same mindset made me think that the Jota rumours were probably baseless, for example, because "we already have two players who can play in that position". That kind of thing isn't a reason not to invest in improving the starting XI any more, and it's taken a season like the one we've just had for me to stop thinking that way.

So even though Afobe's done OK overall in the loan so far, it's been an inconsistent OK—and as much as I have that old instinct to give him the benefit of the doubt and bring him in permanently as a backup to an as-yet-unknown "prestige" star striker, I also wouldn't be surprised at all if we weren't interested in a better quality of backup than a newly-promoted team might normally dream of. (The same logic works for N'Diaye in CM as well, I think.)

The only corollary to the above that's different, mind, is the need to have a certain number of homegrown players in the squad, and Afobe filling one of those slots counts in his favour.

 

[Dinowolf]

I'm not Afobe's biggest fan and when it was suggested he would be coming back, I wrinkled one side of my nose and thought that it wouldn't work.

I still don't think he is that good but he has definitely improved since he has been here. The superb 60yd pass from Coady to him on Saturday was brought under control under pressure with a first touch any striker would have been proud of, and then a great finish into the net. When I saw that I thought 'Ok, that's a yes from me'.

He has only just gone 25yrs old (Feb), he is English, wants to be here, and will 'only' cost us £9m, has experience of the rest of our team so if Nuno wants him then it is a no-brainer for me.

 

[east-coast-wolves]

I think we'll sign one of Afobe or Bonatini as they are known quantities and that's a good thing when attempting the kind of recruitment we will in the summer. Although it paid off spectacularly this year, it might not next year. I hope and think it will, but there are no guarantees. Thus someone from whom you know what you're getting will be good.

His goals tally puts Benik in the driving seat over Leo so I think we'll sign him. It'll only be as 2nd choice at best though so it also depends if he's okay with that.

 

[The Saturday Boy]

Clubs are paying a lot more for players who aren’t as good. I don’t see him being first choice so whether he would be willing to swap the bench at Bournemouth for the bench here will possibly go some way to determining his future. He is a good finisher and we play slightly differently with him in the side...horses for courses. If he held the ball up better he would be ideal when we wanted to play deeper and on the counter.

 

[Johnny75]

The touch he had when he brought Coady's pass out of the sky on Saturday was brilliant but I think that's more unusual for him. I wouldn't sign him on the off chance he's good off the bench, especially at Premier level where you need to be razor sharp all game and sadly for Benik I don't see it.

I think we're shopping in a completely different market now and Afobe is going to be eclipsed by the talent we bring in.

 

[Jinky]

Clubs are paying a lot more for players who aren’t as good. I don’t see him being first choice so whether he would be willing to swap the bench at Bournemouth for the bench here will possibly go some way to determining his future. He is a good finisher and we play slightly differently with him in the side...horses for courses. If he held the ball up better he would be ideal when we wanted to play deeper and on the counter.

I suspect he will feature from the bench more here than he will at Bournemouth. We could also do a lot worse than having a player like Afobe to come in to the starting 11 for League and FA Cup fixtures. He loves the club, he seems to be a good personality in the dressing room, and he's already shown signs of improving under Nuno & his coaching team. It's a bit of a non-brainer for me.

Of course, all this is in hindsight because none of us quite know exactly what level we are going to be shopping at just yet.

 

[The Bear]

I'm not sure why people think he'll be good to bring on when chasing a game. If we're behind then there's hardly going to be lots of space for him to make runs. The opposition will be defending deep and that doesn't suit him.

 

[AlexG]

It's a 'Yes' to Afobe from me. Bournemouth, thanks to their time in the Championship, is a team I have absolutely no time for, and that's what frames my verdict.

The fact that his face didn't fit there should not influence what we think of him now. On a subconsious level many will still recall him leaving Wolves under a very dark cloud - in retrospect most of us seem to accept that much of that wasn't of his own making, but we all have to learn to trust again, hopefully without too many reservations.

Main requirment of a striker? To score goals, and to continue to do so. Afobe has been scoring them - an excellent return, well, since his return! He is playing for his future, which he wants to be at Wolves. He knows that next season he is going to have to raise his game as there will be at least two other new strikers on our books - there has to be in order to cover for injuries (we have been very lucky this season in this regard). Or are we expecting an academy live wire (or two) to make the breakthrough in time for August?

Either way, the likely price-tag for Afobe will be modest in comparison with the other activities we are expecting in the transfer market. He will be less of a risk that a £30m - £40m striker, and who knows, just MIGHT offer a better return. And as others have said, a full pre-season with Wolves could help to ensure that...

 

[lemonjelly]

Personally, I'd be inclined not to sign Afobe unless Nuno believes he can coach him sufficiently to make him more of a threat, and capable of adapting in the PL.

That said, I think it is likely that we as a club will sign Afobe, and as has been said, as a back up striker. I suspect a lot of this decision will depend on what Nuno has seen in training.
I don't think he's the usual level we will be looking at yet.

have to say am surprised by some of the "yes" answers on here. Some of those earlier in the season were apoplectic in the view that Afobe should never play for us again. Guess that shows he has the ability to develop and learn.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I think we’ll bring two top strikers in, so I don’t see Afobe as more than 3rd choice. I certainly wouldn’t want to just bring in one top striker, see him get injured early on and have to rely on Afobe.

Important point this.

If we sign two strikers AND Afobe then when is he going to play, given he can't play anywhere else? We may as well have the two new guys and use Jota or Cav as third choice, with Mir/Ennis behind that.

If we only sign one, then are you happy that every time he's injured, banned or out of form, we're starting Afobe in the Premier League?

I think that although Nuno has been relatively pleased with how it's gone with Ben, it was quite telling that he didn't start against Blues and then wasn't even the first choice to come on when Cav got injured. There are specific games in this division where he'll prosper. Like Bolton, because they're fucking terrible and their centre halves have the mobility of a snooker table. None of that applies so much in the Premier League.

For the record, his goals to date have come against Leeds (worst record in the division in 2018 I believe), Reading, Burton x 2, Blues and Bolton. They're all shocking teams. He had practically no impact against Boro or Cardiff and we didn't trust him to start against Villa or Fulham.

 

[Trips]

Important point this.

If we sign two strikers AND Afobe then when is he going to play, given he can't play anywhere else? We may as well have the two new guys and use Jota or Cav as third choice, with Mir/Ennis behind that.

If we only sign one, then are you happy that every time he's injured, banned or out of form, we're starting Afobe in the Premier League?

I think that although Nuno has been relatively pleased with how it's gone with Ben, it was quite telling that he didn't start against Blues and then wasn't even the first choice to come on when Cav got injured. There are specific games in this division where he'll prosper. Like Bolton, because they're fucking terrible and their centre halves have the mobility of a snooker table. None of that applies so much in the Premier League.

For the record, his goals to date have come against Leeds (worst record in the division in 2018 I believe), Reading, Burton x 2, Blues and Bolton. They're all shocking teams. He had practically no impact against Boro or Cardiff and we didn't trust him to start against Villa or Fulham.

I raised this point previously on his goals for us, but it is still just the Burton game where his goals have impacted the result. He hasn't opened the scoring for us in any game or put us into the lead in a game aside from Burton

 

[The Bion]

I've gone yes but only under the assumption that a) Nuno wants him and b) is capable of improving him as a player (which I think he is)

If you were to consider Afobe as the finished article as he is right now, then probably not. But I think he can get better - to what extent I'm not sure, mind - and fit the team's style better.

With that said, cannot imagine a scenario where he's 1st choice, so this is definitely as a squad/backup position. If he's fine with that, and doesn't get the hump, then all good.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Fell (just) the fence into the no camp - he has scored a few goals since he came back, but we knew he could do that at this level

Really not sure that he fits the system (unless Nuno decides to change that next year in which case a number of others may have problems fitting) or that his touch is good enough. It is possible that the views of numerous Bournemouth S/T holders I know colours this as they really don't rate him, but as I have watched them as few times as possible have no idea whether they were using him properly.

At the price they will want then it's expensive to find out that he really can't perform at that level, but if Nuno & team feel they can get sufficient out of him then I wouldn't burst a blood vessel

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

Said yes, but that's because I do not know who the other targets are.
Do we need a striker? a front 3 of Jota, Costa, and Cav could do it...

I do think we will buy at least 1 big costing striker.
If Nuno wants him cool
If Nuno does not want him Cool

 

[Derby Wolf]

Im pretty indifferent. Thought Saturday was his best game, he was lively and 'at it' but generally his first touch is far too loose and he doesn't have the intelligence Bonatini has(d) when he does get it under control.

If Nuno weaved his magic on him he could be an asset but I feel £10m even with Fosuns clout doesn't really represent value for a gamble when you consider Jota's rumoured fee.

Im leaning towards a handshake and best wishes.

 

[PuntsWolf]

Important point this.

If we sign two strikers AND Afobe then when is he going to play, given he can't play anywhere else? We may as well have the two new guys and use Jota or Cav as third choice, with Mir/Ennis behind that.

If we only sign one, then are you happy that every time he's injured, banned or out of form, we're starting Afobe in the Premier League?

I think that although Nuno has been relatively pleased with how it's gone with Ben, it was quite telling that he didn't start against Blues and then wasn't even the first choice to come on when Cav got injured. There are specific games in this division where he'll prosper. Like Bolton, because they're fucking terrible and their centre halves have the mobility of a snooker table. None of that applies so much in the Premier League.

For the record, his goals to date have come against Leeds (worst record in the division in 2018 I believe), Reading, Burton x 2, Blues and Bolton. They're all shocking teams. He had practically no impact against Boro or Cardiff and we didn't trust him to start against Villa or Fulham.

I know it’s early days with Mir, but he doesn’t look anything like the answer. Looked park standard. He may turn out to be a world beater, but can’t see the transformation happening in 6 months with no first team football. Ennis may be good, but is he PL standard at this stage? And would he not benefit more from a L1/Champ loan rather than playing for our reserves?

Not sure we can read too much into him favouring Leo over him, I think firstly that was more man management of Leo (and Benik had barely play any serious football), and Bonatini put in one of the worst performances I’ve ever seen at Fulham and he’s followed up with similar since against Cardiff. He’s also scored 0 goals for 5 months and I can’t even remember him having a meaningful shot on target.

I raised this point previously on his goals for us, but it is still just the Burton game where his goals have impacted the result. He hasn't opened the scoring for us in any game or put us into the lead in a game aside from Burton

Not sure these stats are relevant tbf. 1) small sample size 2) half his goals have come as a sub and as we are often winning every game anyway what’s he supposed to do? 3) is a goal for 1-0 any better than for 2-0? Even if it was, we are barely a team who relies on a couple of players for goals, so the spread of goals means not everyone can score the first.