Wolverhampton Wanderers wouldn't have wanted to exit 2023 with their current blistering form, winning five of their last six games in December to consolidate a steady mid-table spot in the Premier League.
Gary O'Neil's Old Gold will want to pick up another impressive win away from league action in the FA Cup soon, venturing down to west London to take on Brentford who they have beaten recently 4-1 in the top flight.
All of this has been achieved despite a backdrop of massive upheaval at Molineux in the summer potentially unsettling Wolves, losing the likes of Ruben Neves and Nathan Collins amidst a mass exodus from the West Midlands.
Now, Wolves are an attractive club to join and O'Neil could well tempt this second-tier sharp-shooter to sign for the overachievers to soften the potential blow of Sasa Kalajdzic upping and leaving.
Wolves transfer latest – Kalajdzic out and new striker in
German football website BILD has reported that Wolves attacker Kalajdzic could relocate to Eintracht Frankfurt this month on a loan deal.
This deal could free up space for Wolves to sign a brand-new striker to replace the out-going 26-year-old, with Southampton star Che Adams high up O'Neil's priority list for incoming signings in through the door at Molineux now that the transfer window is back open.
A report by Alex Crook of talkSPORT in the last few days suggests a deal is very much back on the table for Adams, with the Old Gold in need of additional firepower to help out star performers Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha.
If a deal was successfully secured, Wolves could well have a major Kalajdzic upgrade on their hands with Adams prolific in the Championship this campaign for Russell Martin's on-fire Saints.
On the contrary, the wantaway Austrian striker has had a torrid time of it in England since joining Wolves in the summer of 2022.
How Che Adams compares to Sasa Kalajdzic
Adams would be a smart addition to the Wolves ranks this month, shrugging off the dud signing of Kalajdzic by recruiting a proven goalscorer in his place.
Kalajdzic's time in an Old Gold strip to date has consisted of various injury layovers, whilst only managing to find the back of the net two times this season when deemed fit enough for a run-out.
Whereas, Adams – despite not being the immediate starting striker for Southampton currently – has six goals and two assists next to his name when called onto the pitch by Martin to help out in attack alongside Adam Armstrong and Carlos Alcaraz.
If O'Neil needed something different off the bench to replace an out-of-sorts Hwang or a below-par Cunha, Adams would be a devastatingly effective weapon to call upon to unsettle a tiring opposition defence.
The £30k per week number ten has bagged two goals in his last three matches for the promotion-chasing Saints, a loss that would be felt at St Mary's if he was sold on this month.
Martin has openly praised Adams this season for his "amazing" attitude, Adams just going about his business in an understated way as an important impact substitute.
Adams could even drop back and play in attacking midfield if required when relocating to the West Midlands, giving Pablo Sarabia a run for his money potentially in the Wolves lineup.
The Scottish attacker has also been a reliable source of goals in the Premier League during his lengthy stay with the Saints to date, managing to score a commendable nine times from 36 appearances during the 2020/21 campaign.
O'Neil can't just keep waiting around for Kalajdzic to click into gear and shake off his injury troubles, making a swoop for Adams this month therefore feels necessary to help Wolves continue their sterling top-flight season and share out the goal-load at Molineux better.
