Wolverhampton Wanderers continued their plundering of the relegated treasures this summer by snapping up long-term target – Stephen Hunt on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee in late June.
Not unlike Steven Fletcher of Burnley, Hunt was one of the key figures of Hull’s ultimately doomed second season in the Premier League – don’t hold it against him though, were it not for Hunt then Hull would probably have been doomed to relegation from the start. In fact Hunt finished up top scorer in terms of goals and on Fantasy Premier League points last season, more than proving his worth – all that despite missing a third of the season through injury…
The Irish winger had more than a few memorable moments from the season gone by; he welcomed himself to Hull with goals in his first two games for the club, became one of the first real double gameweek success stories of the season as well as bagging a brace of goals at the Reebok Stadium in the new year. As a result of actions like these, and many more, Hunt ended up being the fifth most transferred in midfielder in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game last season.
The Statistics
Opinion…
Mark
Keep Hunt on your watchlist. Once he’s up and running he will be a key figure for Mick McCarthy’s side. He’ll make the left-wing spot his own and provide a consistent supply for Fletcher and Doyle.
Set-piece delivery will be key to Wolves’ survival chances and Hunt will play a major part in delivering the supply for the likes of Craddock to pose a threat. As our pre-season Projections show, we see Hunt weighing in with at least half a dozen assists and five goals to his name making him a worthy consideration once he’s healthy.
Hunt spent his formative footballing years as a trainee in the ranks at Crystal Palace before taking a step back and joining Brentford F.C. in an attempt to forge a first team role for himself. And it was with The Bees that he did as he scored 25 goals in 136 appearances during his four year stay at the club.
After his contract ran out, Hunt moved on to play for Reading in another four year spell. His time with The Royals encompassed promotions, relegations and controversy as he amassed 17 goals and 38 assists in 156 matches.
After his return to the Premier League with The Tigers last year, as previously alluded to he settled in incredibly quickly and ultimately came out of the season having scored 6 goals and provided 5 assists for his team-mates in 27 appearances.
The Prospects
The speedy winger is still carrying the foot injury which ruled him out of the run-in last season so won’t be able to return to action until late October by latest prognosis, but when he does he will be in amongst a strong Irish contingent he is already familiar with – especially in the case of Kevin Doyle who will have also been on the end of many of his 38 assists at Reading – and with Mick McCarthy recently reminding us Michael Kightly is his preferred right-winger, will seemingly be duking it out with Matt Jarvis for a spot on the left-wing upon his return.
Hunt has joined a Wolves side in a certain amount of flux right now. The club have made a number of astute signings in the summer and Mick McCarthey’s side appear to have every chance of preserving theiri Premier League status as a result.
Coming in at just £5.5m in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Hunt with his set-piece hogging and constant supply from the left wing will surely be seen as a bargain for many Fantasy managers once he’s raring to go.