Wolves youngster Nathan Fraser burst onto the scene at Molineux this season but he has shown signs that he isn’t ready for first-team football and could benefit from a loan spell.
The key area Gary O’Neil wanted to strengthen in the January transfer window was a striker.
Wolves had sent Fabio Silva and Sasa Kalajdzic out on loan to Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively while his only senior options were Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha.
O’Neil tried, but ultimately failed to recruit a senior player in that position, and in recent weeks, Wolves have been made to pay for their shortcomings with forwards Hwang, Cunha, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Pedro Neto all suffering from injury.
This has left the 40-year-old incredibly light in that area and he’s had to rely on teenager Nathan Fraser to lead their line.
Nathan Fraser’s season so far
Praised as “unbelievable” by O’Neil, Fraser scored on his first-team debut for the club as Wolves thrashed Blackpool 5-0 in the Carabao Cup in August.
Aged just 18 at the time, the teenager impressed O’Neil that much, he named him on the bench for their Premier League clash against Crystal Palace in the following game.
Fraser then scored the equaliser in an FA Cup tie against Brentford in January, which sent the game into extra time and ultimately helped Wolves on their journey to the quarter-finals.
Now, with injuries to several of their forwards, the 19-year-old has been given the responsibility of leading their line, starting against Fulham in the top flight and the FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Coventry City.
In that huge game against the Sky Blues, Fraser looked out of his depth and struggled to impact the contest.
And while he’s expected to start against Aston Villa, he could benefit from a loan out of Molineux.
Why Nathan Fraser could benefit from a loan spell
In January, O’Neil spoke about the possibility of sending the young striker out on loan, and while a lack of depth in that position saw him stay, a temporary move away from Wolves could be hugely beneficial.
With the Wanderers expected to sign a new forward in the summer, Fraser’s minutes are likely to get slashed, perhaps playing more games for the under-21s.
There isn’t much point in him playing academy football and perhaps a Championship or League One club should take him on loan for the season.
The benefits of sending youngsters out on loan have been demonstrated previously and playing in a physically demanding league, like the second or third tier, would see his development spike.
At this stage, it seems like playing in the Premier League regularly is too early in his development and if Wolves had multiple fit forwards, he wouldn’t get a look in.
It means that, while he’s a very talented striker, honing those talents elsewhere could take him to the next level.