Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Bruno Lage will not rush to bring in another striker this summer after the injury sustained by star striker Raul Jimenez, according to Express and Star journalist Liam Keen.
The Lowdown: Jimenez’s injury
The 31-year-old suffered a knee injury during the Wanderer’s pre-season friendly against Besiktas on Saturday.
During the first half, after scoring the opening goal of the game, the Mexico international was forced off after over-stretching for the ball. Hobbling off the pitch, attention turned to Lage, whose team are preparing for their opening game of the Premier League season against Leeds United next weekend.
The Telegraph journalist John Percy then revealed Jimenez will be ruled out of action for at least a month, potentially missing up to eight weeks worth of football.
The Latest: Keen’s news
Following Jimenez’s injury, Keen has revealed Wolves’ plans as they head into the Premier League season.
Taking to Twitter, the reliable journalist claimed: “Despite Jimenez’s injury, Wolves won’t rush to bring in a striker who doesn’t suit the style. They are working on bringing a striker in before the end of the window but it may not happen before the season starts. Hwang, Podence or Neto are the likely fill-ins for now.
“Bruno Lage is very pleased with how the team is performing in pre-season. If Wolves have to take their time to bring in the right player, they will do.”
The Verdict: Worrying
With last season’s joint top scorer ruled out for the beginning of the new campaign, Lage will be worried about where his goals will be coming from, given the lack of depth in his attacking options having allowed Fabio Silva to be loaned out to Anderlecht for the 2022/23 season.
Jimenez has been a reliable starter in Wolves’ XI since his permanent arrival at the Molineux back in 2019 - only three other Wanderers players made more league appearances than the Mexican last season.
Therefore, in spite of Lage’s reluctance to dip into the transfer market so quickly after Jimenez's injury, it is imperative that the club bring in a new striker for the start of next season; otherwise, we could be seeing Wolves in a relegation battle come Christmas time.