Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Bruno Lage will have a decision to make regarding who starts at centre-back alongside Conor Coady and Max Kilman over the coming weeks with Toti Gomes taking the place of Romain Saiss, who is set to return this week.
The 23-year-old defender made a shock debut against Southampton earlier in January after being recalled from his loan spell at Swiss outfit Grasshoppers after regular Romain Saiss departed to play for Morocco in the African Cup of Nations.
However, having been knocked out of the tournament at the quarter-final stage to Egypt last weekend, the 31-year-old centre-back is now set to return to action for Wolves this week having been allowed to miss the FA Cup defeat to Norwich.
Gomes hasn’t done badly, but his brief spell in the side must now come to an end.
On the chalkboard
Under Lage, Wolves have been very impressive, particularly at the back. The West Midlands outfit are the Premier League’s second-best defenders behind league leaders Manchester City, having conceded just 16 goals in the top-flight so far this season.
Sat in eighth, the final four months of the season are going to be vital for Wolves, with coming games particularly important as they may shape the way in which Lage’s side’s season will go.
The Golden Boys are only two points off of the top six but are eight clear of 11th, meaning that a top-half finish at the bare minimum looks to be well in order. Though, there is one key change the manager has to make if he’s serious about bridging that gap and reaching the promised lands of European football agian.
With Gomes in the side, Wolves have remained particularly solid, winning in the Premier League against both Southampton and Brentford 3-1 and 2-1 respectively.
However, the £900k-rated Portuguese defender suffered his first defeat in a Wolves shirt on Saturday, losing 1-0 to Norwich City in the FA Cup and was sacrificed after just over an hour for striker Raul Jimenez as Lage looked to salvage the tie.
Conceding three goals in three games isn’t a bad feat at all, particularly with a lack of experience at this level beforehand. Gomes has been thrown into the deep end and managed to keep his head above water.
Despite this though, with Saiss Wolves have that extra quality that ensures points are put on the board.
The Moroccan has contributed to eight clean sheets in 19 Premier League appearances having conceded 14 goals, an average of 0.74 goals per game.
However, Gomes has piped the 31-year-old in some aspects, despite a significant gap in matches played. Saiss is averaging 1.9 interceptions, 1.2 tackles and 5.1 clearances per game whilst the 23-year-old has averaged two interceptions, four tackles, and 4.5 clearances per game.
Saiss’ passing is at a much higher standard though with 81% accuracy compared to Gomes’ 65%.
Of course, comparing averages from half a season compared to just two doesn’t offer much indication of who’s the better option for Lage. However, it does signify to the Portuguese coach that, in Gomes, he has a very suitable back-up.
Having put his faith in Saiss for the majority of the campaign, bringing the Moroccan back into the fold should cause very little headache for the 45-year-old. In Gomes though, Lage has a younger, hungry defender ready to pounce again if an opportunity arises.
Sadly, for now, he must be taken out of the firing line.
In other news: £37k-p/w waster may have cost Wolves a shot at silverware