Nils Petersen would be the ideal man to solve Wolves’ goalscoring crisis
After stamping their authority in the second tier of English football and winning the Championship, Wolverhampton Wanderers have surpassed all expectations with a wonderful start to their Premier League campaign under Nuno Espirito Santo.
Wolves were flying high after pinching crucial points against the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United but they have come crashing down to earth after failing to register a single win in their last six top-flight games.
Nuno Santo’s men produced arguably their worst display of the season as the Premier League new boys suffered an unexpected 2-1 defeat at the hands of Cardiff City.
Lack of firepower in the final third once again proved to be the major cause of their undoing as Wolves failed to capitalize on the few openings that they created on the day. Thus, their need to bolster the squad with a prolific goalscorer in January is apparent.
Wolves have been linked with strikers like Emiliano Sala (Daily Mail) and Mbaye Diagne (Birmingham Live) ahead of the January transfer window. However, they should also start keeping close tabs on German international striker Nils Petersen, who currently plies his trade in the Bundesliga with SC Freiburg.
Nils Petersen has been instrumental in Freiburg’s rise from a relegation contender to a mid-table outfit in the German top-flight. The 29-year-old scored as many as 21 goals in the Bundesliga 2 during the 2015/16 season to propel his team to the top flight and has been one of the standout figures for Freiburg thereafter, racking up goals and assists on a consistent basis.
Petersen has won 2 international caps for Germany so far and was included in the provisional squad for the 2018 World Cup for his impressive form in the Bundesliga, even though he failed to make the final cut. He scored 15 goals in the league last season and has already hit the ground running this term as well, scoring 2 goals from 8 appearances.
Standing at 6ft. 2 inches, Petersen has good height for a centre-forward and is adept at winning headers inside the box, making him a genuine threat from corners, crosses and indirect set-pieces. In fact, he averaged 2.8 successful aerial duels per game last season in the Bundesliga.
Petersen is not someone who has the ability to rip apart defences with lightning pace or mesmerizing dribbling skills but he still has decent pace and good close control for a centre-forward.
Blessed with the killer instincts of an old-school centre-forward, Petersen seems to know exactly where the goal and from where the ball is coming. In other words, his ability to lose his marker and make subtle runs behind the backline makes him a player to watch out for. Furthermore, he is known for his clinical nature in front of goal, which is a sine qua non for an effective striker.
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Wolves have players like Raul Jimenez and Helder Costa in the final third who are good at link-up play but they haven’t made much of an impact with goals. They need a proper striker to complement Jimenez and the German definitely fits the bill at Molineux.
That said, pursuing an interest in the German international can propel Wolves to greater heights in the Premier League.
