Wolves blog: Where must the club strengthen in January?

With Wolves sat in eleventh place in the Championship table on New Years Day, it is safe to say that the season has not gone to plan...writes Wolves blogger Tom Tracey

Beginning the season in and around the bookies' favourites for promotion, early talk of automatic promotion was soon ceded but hopes of a top six finish remained. Hopes of a top six finish then dwindled to resigned acceptance of a mid-table finish.

But poor form and performance has hindered Wolves all season and they now need to pick up their season to pull the rope ladder of league safety firmly out of reach of the teams below them in the table.

With only one match remaining before the January transfer window swings open, the need to bolster the squad with experience and quality is clear.

What is unclear is the amount of backing that Jackett and the recruitment team will get from self-exiled owner Steve Morgan. Whether he will sanction any significant funding save that generated by sales is unlikely.

However the management approach the situation, there are a number of glaring deficiencies within the squad.

Six first-team defenders are not enough for any Championship team. Especially when one has been injured for around half of the season so far, and none of them have a massive amount of Championship experience.

Despite two consecutive clean sheets, Danny Batth and Ethan Ebanks-Landell had a torrid time in the last two defeats to Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday. Struggling to handle the opposition's attackers, they were easily pulled out of position and this is something Wolves need to address quickly.

The experienced Mike Williamson brought some stability and calmness to a young defence which conceded just three times in the five matches he played in. With Newcastle prepared to allow him to leave in January, surely Wolves should try to bring him back to Molineux.

If they cannot bring him back, someone else of his ilk and experience would be of huge benefit and a return to consistent clean sheets would be a good base to build on.

Whilst the current Wolves squad has an extremely bloated middle, the wide positions are not completely fit for purpose. Whilst Jackett has two decent and varied options on the right in James Henry and Nathan Byrne, his only real option on the left is Jordan Graham.

It is unlikely that Sheyi Ojo will make much impact on the Wolves team for the rest of the season, whilst it is hard to see Rajiv van La Parra returning and having any impact on this Wolves team – his work rate and determination are not good enough Wolves' style of play.

It appears as though Wolves are planning to rectify this problem with a deal completed for long-time target Michal Zyro, who can play on either wing. Whether he can make the required impact remains to be seen.

An attacking player is equally as desperate a requirement as a defender, as their current options are not suited to the direct passes that are a trait of Wolves at the moment.

Assuming Benik Afobe will still be a Wolves player until at least the end of the season, he represents the best quality option up front that Wolves have. A suitable partner is certainly required and the diminutive Adam Le Fondre is unfortunately not the correct partner for Jackett's preferred tactics.

Whilst Le Fondre has his merits, punting long balls into the air for him to win is a futile exercise, whilst Grant Holt's loan deal has not been extended and he has returned to Wigan having rarely featured.

If Wolves can find a striker that is athletic enough to win the ball and be both a creator and a recipient for Afobe, they will score far more goals.

Incidentally, this player is already on Wolves' books in Nouha Dicko. It is hard to imagine that Wolves would be struggling as they are with both Dicko and Afobe playing together, as they have such complementary attributes and a great understanding.

Another loan forward may be the option for Wolves until Dicko is fit, although it is hard to think of an available player that could fill the role. Regardless, the recruitment team must find someone that can help to sharpen a blunted attack.

Wolves' and Kenny Jackett's Championship future requires an improvement in most areas from the first half of the season and with the club's best signings in recent seasons coming in January rather than the summer transfer window, we must continue to hope that they can replicate this yet again.