It's hard to predict how this season is going to go for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
On the one hand, Vitor Pereira proved himself to be a more than competent manager last year, and someone capable of getting more out of his players than you'd expect.
Yet on the other hand, the Old Gold have sold their two best players in Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha this summer, massively weakening both ends of the pitch.
Wolves PEREIRA
However, it's not all doom and gloom, as the club has made a couple of interesting signings themselves, and if reports are to be believed, they could be about to bring in a young phenom who could be the heir to Cunha.
Wolves target their new Cunha
While losing both Ait-Nouri and Cunha could be hugely detrimental to Wolves' chances this season, the Old Gold have at least added a number of exciting talents to the squad who could be enough to keep them away from a relegation scrap.
Jhon Arias, for example, managed to rack up 17 goal involvements in 35 games last season, Fer Lopez racked up 11 in 37, and Jorgen Strand Larsen, whose loan has now been made permanent, scored 14 goals and provided five assists in 38 games during his debut campaign at Molineux.
Moreover, while some clubs would stop there, it appears as if the West Midlands outfit want to make at least one more signing before the window slams shut next month and bring in someone who could be the heir to Cunha.
matheus cunha-1
At least that is according to a recent report from the Daily Mail, which claims Wolves are interested in Ben Doak.
In good news, the report has revealed that Liverpool are willing to sell the teenage sensation for a relatively reasonable fee of around £20m.
However, the less good news is that there could be quite a battle to land the Scotsman's signature, with Leeds United, West Ham United, and Everton all credited with an interest.
It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Doak's ability and massive potential, one worth fighting for, especially as he could be an heir to Cunha at Wolves.
Why Doak could be Cunha's heir
Now, the first thing to say here is that we are not suggesting that Doak is anywhere near the level of Cunha at the moment, nor will he likely be there within the next season or two.
After all, the mercurial Brazilian managed to score 17 goals and provide six assists in just 36 appearances for the Old Gold last season, and was arguably one of the most dynamic players in the Premier League.
However, just because it's unlikely that the young Scotsman would be able to replicate the new Manchester United star's output from the word go, it does not mean he couldn't still be his long-term heir at Molineux.
Liverpool-Ben-Doak
We say this because the 19-year-old has shown plenty of potential over the last year or so, and has got plenty of people in the know very excited about the player he could become.
For example, while on loan with Middlesbrough in the Championship last season, the "explosive" ace, as dubbed by Danny Murphy, was able to score three goals and provide seven assists in just 1789 minutes across 24 appearances.
That means the potentially "generational" talent, as dubbed by analyst John Walker, averaged a goal involvement every 2.4 games, or every 178.9 minutes, in what was his first full season of senior football.
It's not like he just got lucky either, as his underlying numbers are utterly superb.
According to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the next best 14 competitions for carries into the penalty area, the top 2% for progressive carries and touches in the opponent's penalty area, the top 6% for non-penalty expected goals per shot and more, all per 90.
Doak's Scout Report
Statistics
Progressive Passes Received
Carries into Penalty Area
Progressive Carries
Shots on Target %
Touches (Att Pen)
Progressive Carrying Distance
Average Shot Distance
npxG/Shot
Touches (Att 3rd)
Assists
SCA (Live-ball Pass)
Penalty Kicks Won
Total Carrying Distance
GCA (Live-ball Pass)
Passes into Penalty Area
Carries into Final Third
Pass Completion %
Goal-Creating Actions
Key Passes
All Stats via FBref
Ultimately, while there is still some way to go in his development, it's clear that Doak is an immensely talented player, and in time could become as crucial to Wolves as Cunha once was.
Therefore, while it's going to be a tough transfer to get over the line, the Old Gold should be doing everything they can to bring the young Scotsman to the West Midlands this month.