Who is Nelson Semedo? Strengths and weaknesses of Wolves' Doherty replacement

 

Wolves' sale of Matt Doherty caught many a fan off guard this summer as they sold the Republic of Ireland international to Premier League rivals Tottenham. Ainsley Maitland-Niles had been lined up as a replacement for Doherty before Arsenal decided to keep the youngster after a series of fine showings at Wembley. 

 

Nuno Espirito Santo's side came into the season, then, without a designated right wing-back and it saw Adama Traore operate in the role in their 2-0 win at Sheffield United last week before he was dropped back to right-back against Manchester City on Monday night. However, with a little under two weeks to go before the transfer window closes, Wolves have landed their new right wing-back 

 

Barcelona's fire sale this summer has already seen Ivan Rakitic depart for Sevilla and Arturo Vidal move to Inter with Nelson Semedo following their pair out of the Camp Nou exit. The Portuguese defender arrives at Molineux on the back of a three-year stint with the Blaugrana where he never really convinced he was quite up to the standard expected to be a starting right-back for the LaLiga giants. Indeed, Barcelona's win rate dropped 11.6% when he started, so too did the number of goals conceded per game (up from 0.79 to 1).

 

 

That said, seasons of mismanagement of Barcelona hasn't aided Semedo's cause to establish himself as first choice for the Spanish powerhouse. It was his Benfica performances that saw Barcelona ultimately secure his services in 2017 and, in his final season in Portugal, Semedo chipped in with one goal and six assists to help garner a WhoScored rating of 7.37, enough to secure a spot in the Liga NOS team of the season. 

 

Two goals and two assists in three years for an attack-minded side like Barcelona doesn't, admittedly, make for great reading, but if Santo can coax out the same performances Benfica fans bore witness to in 2016/17, then Wolves fans can be excited at what is to come from the 26-year-old. 

 

Indeed, that Benfica side relied heavily on the attacking output of the two full-backs with Semedo averaging a respectable 1.1 key passes per 90. 1.6 successful dribbles per 90 was also a solid return as the Portugal international broke past opponents with ease and boasted a commendable end product that played a key role in their title success. 

 

Similarly for Wolves, the right wing-back in Santo's system is the attacking of the two, whereas the left wing-back, either Jonny or new signing Marcal, is nominally the more defensive minded in the setup. And this will suit Semedo's attacking style as he looks to reignite his career in England. 

 

While his career fell by the wayside during his time in Barcelona, a number of players have made the move to Camp Nou and struggled only to then flourish elsewhere and there is no reason why Semedo can't follow the same path. If anything, a fresh start out of the spotlight in Barcelona will set him back on the straight and narrow. After all, he'll be working under a settled head coach in a system that will play to his best qualities and, as a replacement for Doherty, Semedo could prove a solid investment in the long run for the Midlands side.

Who is Nelson Semedo? Strengths and weaknesses of Wolves' Doherty replacement