‘I was extremely impressed,’ says pundit after seeing Wolves’ 25-year-old star for the first time.
Former Wolves defender Andy Thompson praised Jean-Ricner Bellegarde after his outstanding debut against Liverpool.
Gary O’Neil threw the Frenchman immediately into the starting XI after signing for the club before the international break.
Wolves’ final recruit for the summer window was Bellegarde.
He signed just before the deadline, with Wolves executives traveling out to Strasbourg to oversee the player’s physical.
Wolves paid somewhat less than £13 million for the midfielder.
And on Saturday, he made his debut in front of the Molineux crowd, and he did not disappoint…
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Andy Thompson praised Wolves debutant Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
Wolves’ Bellegarde was the most advanced midfielder in a three-man midfield.
He was mostly playing somewhat to the left, which allowed him to combine well with Pedro Neto, who was also outstanding on Saturday.
Bellegarde was full of energy and carried the ball well. He also displayed some pretty nice touches.
Thompson noticed him and said (Wolves official): “First half, I was very impressed with him, with the way he plays and the positive runs he would make at the Liverpool defense.” You could tell he was struggling in the second half because he was in a new league, and the tempo of the Premier League simply emphasizes the difference. There could have been a variety of reasons for it, but we saw glimpses of what we hope he will bring to the team.
“He’s upbeat, confident on the ball, and has good running ability, which is what you want from the players you bring in.” I’m hoping he’ll give us that spark, and he surely did in the first half – but he was running around with wooden legs in the second half because he was cramping and couldn’t bend his legs, but he wasn’t the only one.”
Following the game, O’Neil applauded Bellegarde for his efforts.
Bellegarde will be a key contributor for the Wolves.
Matheus Nunes, a ball carrier for the Wolves, has recently been lost.
However, the team appears to have discovered another in Bellegarde, which will be crucial going ahead.
You need guys to move the ball forward to the final third, which Wolves do fairly well.
It’s only when the ball enters the final third that Wolves struggle.
Hopefully, Bellegarde can provide some goals while also assisting the attackers ahead of him.
