Wolverhampton Wanderers secured a crucial Premier League victory over Bournemouth on the weekend and Gary O’Neil is finally leading the club to some consistency.
They have not been defeated in the top flight since Liverpool claimed a 3-1 win back in September and the mood around Molineux is positive for once after a couple of turbulent seasons.
With some more excellent performances and a little bit of luck, the Old Gold could aim for a top half finish and O’Neil must dive back into the transfer market come January to potentially reignite a move for Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill.
Could Wolves sign Josh Brownhill?
In August, the Molineux side made an approach for the 27-year-old, according to TEAMtalk, as they aimed to strengthen their midfield options.
The £45k-per-week star will be out of contract at the end of the season and this could tempt O’Neil into making a more concrete move for the player when the winter transfer window opens.
He could either wait to sign the midfielder on a free next summer or secure him for a knockdown price due to his contract scenario, and it is a move the former Bournemouth manager has to make.
How good is Josh Brownhill?
Brownhill has made 141 appearances for Burnley since joining in 2020 and played a key role in their Championship triumph last term, scoring seven goals and grabbing eight assists.
He has found the back of the net just once this term, but O’Neil could sign his very own James Ward-Prowse if he convinces Brownhill to join Wolves.
The duo are statistically similar and the former Southampton star has enjoyed a wonderful start to life at West Ham United.
The 28-year-old has scored twice and registered six assists across just ten matches for the Hammers, and he certainly looks like he could turn out to be one of David Moyes’ finest-ever signings.
According to FBref, Ward-Prowse is the second most comparable player to Brownhill and given his impact at the highest level over the previous few years, it is not a bad comparison to have.
Indeed, they have registered similar statistics with regard to shots per 90 (1.4 to 1.58), shot-creating actions per 90 (4.01 to 3.94), tackles won (nine to six), and touches in the attacking third (136 to 179), indicating that they both like to generate shooting chances for others, while always aiming to get forward as often as possible.
The Burnley star was previously hailed as “brilliant” by his teammate Jack Cork back in 2022 and while he has not quite had the same sort of impact in front of goal as he did last season, perhaps a fresh start could give him more freedom.
Wolves lost Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes during the summer transfer window and while they raked in plenty of money for the duo, they have left some big gaps to fill in the heart of their midfield.
Brownhill would not be expected to be a replacement for either of those two, yet his similarities to Ward-Prowse make him an ideal candidate for O’Neil’s project in the Midlands.
His contract situation at Turf Moor could open the door for a move at the start of next year and Wolves should look to take advantage of that to add an attacking threat to their midfield ranks, just as West Ham did when they raided Southampton this summer.