Steve Davis: Wolves’ new boys will settle in
Steve Davis wants to see more end product from record signing Matheus Nunes, but insists that all of Wolves’ summer signings are getting to grips with life in the Premier League.
Nunes arrived from Sporting in August for a fee of £38million, which could rise to £42million, but he is yet to find the consistency that has proved him to be one of the continent’s most exciting midfielders.
The 24-year-old has shown glimpses of his talent, and has been shifted to several positions in midfield, while he is now playing slightly further forward under Davis – and the interim head coach now wants to see more goals and assists as a reward.
Davis said: “I see him higher up, I see him as a number eight really. We tried him in a (midfield) two, he needs to learn that position – he was very loose in that position. We want him to be loose, but he’s better being loose in higher positions with his running and ability to get past people.
“He’s a great dribbler with the ball and travels quicker with it than without it.
“We’ve seen things in training that suggest dropping to get the ball a little bit deeper – not too deep – and driving at the opposition and making runs in behind without the ball. We need to see a bit more from him in terms of the end bit.”
Of all the summer signings Nathan Collins has settled quickest, but Davis believes they will all soon prove their quality.
Davis added: “I think they are top players, they just need to fit into the system we’re trying to play at the moment. They’re still learning that and it looked different at Palace than it did against Forest. We’ve looked at it, how we play out with the ball and how we defend without it. These things take time.
“For Nathan, at 21, it’s a tough old league. Matheus has got huge talent, it’s just about finding a place for him in the team where he’s going to be at his best. Hopefully we’ve found that position for him so he can excel and push on and be better. Guedes we’ve probably seen less of and know less about, but he works hard in training. He looks good in training and is a fantastic finisher.
“So we have to get him in positions around the box to finish. We probably look more at out of possession stuff with him, but in possession he’s a terrific player that can cause a lot of problems. Having that type of player, it’s up to us to get the best out of him.”
