Itβs something of a mystery that, given his positive impact whilst on loan at Portsmouth last season, no top-flight club had been initially willing to take a punt on Jamie OβHara this term. Hampered by a back problem and the quality of the midfield at parent club Spurs, heβs been stuck on the sidelines, managing not one single minute of game time until Mick McCarthy brought him to Molineux on loan at the tail end of the January transfer window. As illustrated in last Saturdayβs 4-0 home romp over Blackpool, OβHaraβs performances are already reaping reward for Wolves and Big Mickβs acquisition is looking like a masterstroke.
As this average position map from the Blackpool game shows, OβHara (24) is stationed in the heart of the Wolves midfield and, with his fair share of set-piece duties in addition, is quickly looking like the Midlands clubβs equivalent to Charlie Adam, with some talismanic performances that have undoubtedly helped boost the clubβs survival chances.
Within a month of arriving at his new club, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Managers are also discovering OβHara has lost little of the allure that made him a real cut-price midfield proposition last time round. Having taken three games to build up his match-fitness, OβHara has now managed 90 minutes in each of Wolvesβ last two games and has returned two goals and five FPL Bonus Points, for a Fantasy Total of 20 points.
A look at these Passing Chalkboards from those last two games highlights OβHaraβs involvement in Wolvesβ play and makes it easy to appreciate just how heβs appealing to the Bonus Point judges, too. He made 69 passes against West Brom, 6 tackles, had 3 shots and grabbed a goal and 3 Bonus Points for his endeavours.
Against a Blackpool side shorn of the suspended Adam, OβHaraβs performance was immense. He made an incredible 87 passes, 5 tackles, and once again had 3 shots, from which he grabbed a goal. Only a double from Sylvan Ebanks-Blake prevented him from picking up all 3 Bonus Points and OβHara instead had to make do with only 2 from the Bonus Judges.
Our Members should further investigate his stats from the past few gameweeks- heβs been one of the leagueβs outstanding performers and has clearly settled instantly at Molineux. McCarthy has not held back in his praise of the midfielder and is clearly desperate to make the signing a permanent one:
He has already made a difference to us and it’s great to have him around the place as well as in the team. He makes us play, he gets on the ball and you can see why he’s been a Tottenham player. Hopefully he will be a Wolves player for a long time. It’s not just a case of me wanting him here but he wants to come here as well. He is a chirpy character to have around the place as well as being a very good player. Whether there is a deal already in place to sign him from Spurs – that is down to our chief executive Jez Moxey.
For those Fantasy Managers mulling over buying OβHara this gameweek, beware: the loan agreement with Spurs means he cannot participate in Wolvesβ next league match -at home to Harryβs side- but from the following gameweek, priced at just Β£5.1m for those considering an alternative to the likes of Charlie Adam, heβs becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
