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Wolves ears must have pricked up at the news Black Country rivals West Brom were releasing powerhouse midfielder Youssouf Mulumbu.

Could the experienced enforcer be the right fit for Kenny Jackett as his team chase Premier League promotion?

Bournemouth had Harry Arter, Watford Adlène Guedioura, Norwich City relied on Alexander Tettey and Brentford counted on Toumani Diagouraga as their menacing midfield presence.

Wolves didn’t have anyone.

As skillful and talented as Kevin McDonald is, a snarling hard-man he is not.

McDonald is not one to fly into tackles that can ruffle opponents and lift the Molineux crowd.

The 26-year-old is at his best when gliding past players and picking out a forward pass - usually to track the intelligent runs of Benik Afobe.

He’s not a midfield Rottweiler.

True, Wolves won their fair share of games last season with gritty, backs-to-the-wall displays.

But it was heroic defending, by Richard Stearman in the main, rather than midfield barricades that tended to earn those results.

Jack Price emerged as Jackett’s first choice partner for McDonald, by the end of the campaign.

Lee Evans, George Saville and evergreen Welshman Dave Edwards were also tried in the centre of the park as Jackett shuffled his pack.

All four have different strengths, but not one of them has the physique to intimidate and blitz a midfield battle.

Wolves lost 12 league matches last season.

Two of them were against Bournemouth as Wolves struggled to cope with the Cherries’ incessant pressure on the ball that stemmed from Arter and Andrew Surman in midfield.

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Five defeats came on the spin during that sticky sequence in November which to be fair coincided with some difficult fixtures.

In each of those defeats, save for the 2-1 reverse at home to Bournemouth which hinged on a red card, Wolves were overrun in midfield and chasing shadows.

Chelsea loanee Nathanial Chalobah grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck when Reading inflicted Wolves’ fourth league loss at Molineux back in February.

It might not have been the biggest in terms of score line, but the 2-0 defeat at Norwich City in February was as one-sided as they come.

Tettey bossed the middle, but in truth, the Canaries were superior in every area of the pitch.

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The game at Blues in April could have gone either way and, although Wolves were poor that day, it was the kind of match they had been grinding out wins from previously.

The final defeat was at the Riverside Stadium where Middlesbrough were worthy winners.

And although the goals came from defensive errors, Adams Clayton and Forshaw were magnificent in the middle for Boro that night.

Neither Clayton nor Forshaw have the powerful frame as someone like Mulumbu, but they hunted together to great effect.

At 28, Mulumbu still has plenty left in the tank.

The Congo international, who learned his trade at Paris Saint-Germain, has a great attitude which would instantly endear him to Kenny Jackett and his coaching staff who value personality almost as high as ability.

Mulumbu’s Premier League wages could be a stumbling block, but as a free agent he must surely be worth a phone call.

Even Wolves legend Steve Bull has said as much.