Wolverhampton Wanderers will want to get back to winning ways on Christmas Eve when Chelsea travel to Molineux, Gary O'Neil's side losing to West Ham United 3-0 last time out despite registering more shots on the day than David Moyes' arguably fortunate hosts.
The disappointing nature of this defeat could see the Wolves manager assess and scrutinise his squad over the Christmas fixtures to come, wanting to see more from a number of underperforming individuals before making a call in January over who he should recruit and bring into Molineux.
The Old Gold could add this long-term target to their squad finally when the transfer window reopens, keeping the likes of Joao Gomes on their toes in midfield in the process.
Wolves transfer latest – Premier League midfielder rumoured
A report from the Mirror earlier this month disclosed that Wolves will go full steam ahead in their pursuit of Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill this January, who is yet to sign a new contract with Vincent Kompany's Clarets.
That could result in Wolves swooping in to secure the central midfielder for just £7m, with interest also coming in the form of Crystal Palace, Fulham and Leicester City who all want to land the 28-year-old at the expense of O'Neil's side.
Kompany did fire back at these rumours, stating rather strongly that "they are rumours that I can not even entertain" when speaking to The Burnley Express recently. Still, Brownhill could have his head swayed by a potential move to Molineux.
This isn't the first time Brownhill has been linked with a move away from Turf Moor, rumoured to be joining Aston Villa back in 2021 with football pundit and ex-Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie calling the midfielder "fabulous" at the time and likening him to John McGinn when speaking to FootballFanCast.
The experienced midfielder could even displace Gomes on his potential arrival to the West Midlands in O'Neil's first team, Wolves' number 35 needing to impress his manager in the games to close out December or face the chop with or without Brownhill joining.
How Josh Brownhill compares to Joao Gomes
Gomes has put in a number of unsatisfactory displays in the middle of the park for the top-flight club this campaign, resulting in the Brazilian averaging a second-rate 6.69 Sofascore rating from 15 games to date.
In contrast, Brownhill has been a shining light for the relegation-threatened Clarets and has averaged a superior 7.06 rating from 16 games – scoring three times this season to chip in and do his part.
Gomes was noticeably way off the pace against Brownhill's side at Molineux at the start of the month, inaccurate with his only long ball attempt of the game in a quiet showing from the reserved midfielder.
Whereas, Brownhill excels venturing forward and helping out in attack – Wolves in dire need of a midfield presence who is urgent and energetic on the ball, alongside being adept at scoring from long-range ever since Ruben Neves left in the summer.
O'Neil could finally replace Neves in Wolves swoop for £7m ace
Wolves are showing interest in a current Premier League midfielder…
ByRoss KilvingtonDec 11, 2023
Away at Molineux, despite exiting the field of play on the losing team, Burnley's number eight was head and shoulders above his uninspiring counterpart – attempting to catch the visitors out with two efforts on goal, winning all four of his aerial duels with determination too.
Looking at FBRef, Brownhill would be a smart acquisition on Wolves' end – the statistics show that his bright performance in the West Midlands against O'Neil's men is indicative of his full campaign with Gomes falling short in comparison.
Over the last year, per 90 minutes, Brownhill has amassed 2.85 shot-creating actions compared to Gomes' lacklustre 2.03.
On top of that, Brownhill is far more impressive as a combative and disruptive presence in midfield than Gomes also.
Gomes comes in at just 0.66 interceptions, whilst his Clarets equivalent has a far more impressive 1.61 on average – the Brazilian coming up short in the statistics you'd want a midfielder to excel in, bailed out by the bravery and creativity of midfield partner Mario Lemina.
The 22-year-old's cemented spot in the Wolves first team could well be up for grabs therefore, with O'Neil desperate to sign Brownhill to enhance his midfield and propel the Old Gold to new heights.