Wolves claimed their first capture of the summer by finalising a permanent deal for Jamie O’Hara on Tuesday. The 24-year-old officially becomes a Wolves player on July 1 after the Midlands club exercised their right to close a deal as part of the loan arrangement with Spurs that ended on the final day of the season.
O’Hara has signed a five-year-contact at Molineux having made 14 appearances in Wolves colours last term – helping to steer Mick McCarthy’s side to safety. With a vital goal in the final day clash with Blackburn, there’s little doubt that O’Hara was a pivotal to the survival battle and it’s no surprise that Wolves and McCarthy have acted quickly to complete a deal to add the midfielder to their squad.
After going under the knife for a back injury, O’Hara returned to Premier League action showing few effects of his long-term absence. Having shone in a relegated Portsmouth side in 2009/10, the Tottenham loanee joined the Wolves plight in January and was a constant source of inspiration from the middle of the park.
With a pre-season in front of him, it’s expected that O’Hara will make further strides and establish himself not only as a key figure in the Wolves lineup, but perhaps one of the most influential midfielders in the division.
Mick McCarthy gave us this on sealing the capture on Tuesday…
“He showed some real quality when he was on loan with us last season, and that was having come back from not playing for eight months after a back operation. Despite that absence, he made a key contribution over the second half of the campaign, and with a full pre-season behind him he has the potential to get even better next season.”
The Statistics
In 14 appearances (13 starts), O’Hara returned 3 goals and an assist to aid Wolves’ survival bid. Perhaps the most crucial statistic available for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers however is the total of 13 Bonus Points earned during that spell. O’Hara had already proved himself to be a “Bonus Darling” in his season with Portsmouth having gathered 25 Bonus in addition to 2 goals and 4 assists in a 25 game loan spell.
For a more in-depth perspective, our Members should take time to scan O’Hara’s Opta statistics from last season, paying particularly attention to his figures in relation to his Wolves team-mates.
When applying the filter to show Average per match values, it’s clear that he stands out as by far the most influential member of the starting XI in terms of “Touches” and “Key Passes”, while he even runs winger Matt Jarvis close for “Successful Crosses”. With an average of 1.8 goal attempts per game, O’Hara is in the upper echelons for midfield goal threats – to put this in perspective, this is an identical stat to Chelsea’s Florent Malouda and a higher return than the likes of Kevin Nolan, Charles N’Zogbia and Samir Nasri – all of which were hugely popular Fantasy targets in the mid-price bracket last season.
The Prospects
Up until the season at Fratton Park, O’Hara’s Premier League ambitions had been frustrated by a star-studded midfield lineup at White Hart Lane, restricting him to a handful of competitive appearances. There will be no such issues at Molineux.
O’Hara looks set to be at the heart of matters for Wolves – dictating play as a deep lying creative midfielder away from home, with the license to edge forward and lend his sweet left-foot to the attack in home matches. McCarthy certainly has no doubts as to the quality he brings…
“He is a midfielder who is good on the ball, not afraid to put his foot in and also has an eye for goal…On top of that he is also a good character around the place who has a positive influence in the dressing room.”
We can surely expect 30+ starts and barring injury, O’Hara look one of the more likely contenders for an ever-present record next term. That should translate to decent Fantasy returns – O’Hara’s performance statistics suggest that goals and assists will come his way and, while he may not reach double figures in either area, a stream of Bonus Points should flow his way as O’Hara’s influence stands out within a Wolves squad that currently lacks flair and creativity.
Priced at 5.5 in the FPL last season, we’d expect a similar tag this time around, with a slight chance he’ll increase to 6.0. Even so, mid-price midfield options won’t come much more secure and reliable as O’Hara next season.
Bonus returns will be crucial to his value but, if the early signs are good in that area, the new Wolves signing could find himself a strong differential early on given the apparently “unthreatening” opening five games ahead of Mick McCarthy’s side.
