In Focus: Why powerhouse Hwang has hit the ground running at Wolves

Hee Chan Hwang failed to find the net in the Bundesliga last season — but he has transformed into a goal machine since signing for Wolves.

The South Korea international has hit the ground running in the West Midlands, scoring four times in just six Premier League appearances after joining on loan from RB Leipzig in the summer.

Bruno Lage’s side are beginning to tick along nicely and could make it five matches unbeaten when they welcome Everton to Molineux tonight.

As Hwang aims to shine once again, we take a look at how the 25-year-old has already taken Wolves’ frontline to the next level.

Instant impact

Wolves failed to score in each of their opening three league games of 2021-22 — but that all changed away to Watford on Matchday 4.

An own-goal by Francisco Sierralta had given Lage’s men the lead at Vicarage Road — but then, just 20 minutes after coming off the bench for his debut, up popped Hwang to double the visitors’ advantage.

It was a tap-in from barely a yard out, but what better way to immediately endear yourself to the fans than by sealing your new side’s first points of the campaign?

Taking centre stage from the left

While he may have played through the middle in Wolves’ dramatic 3-2 win at Aston Villa last month, Hwang has largely been deployed on the left of a front three — at least when starting games.

That trio can operate quite narrowly at times, but Raul Jimenez tends to be the focal point of the Wolves attack in any case.

Hwang is used to being a foil though. He performed such a role brilliantly for Erling Haaland at FC Salzburg, his first club in Europe.

And right now, he is providing a greater goal threat than Adama Traore on the opposite flank.

In fact, Hwang has scored as many Premier League goals in his first six games as Traore has in his last 68 appearances.

A childhood ambition realised

Playing in England is something that Hwang had been targeting for some time.

Speaking in September, he said: "It was an honour for me to score a goal on my debut, especially in the Premier League.

"It has been my dream to come here since I was little. I was very happy and I really appreciate the people who helped me to move here, including my family."

With fellow countrymen Ji-sung Park and Heung-Min Son enjoying phenomenal careers in England’s top flight, Hwang’s bright start will give him hope of emulating their achievements in the years ahead.

Mr Reliable

Wolves may sit 11th in the table — and they will move up to seventh with a win tonight — but their success has primarily been built on the league's fourth-best defensive record.

Only rock-bottom Norwich have scored fewer goals than Wolves’ nine — of which Hwang has bagged four.

It would therefore be easy to suggest that the men from Molineux are overly-reliant on the 41-cap international.

But he arrived just as Jimenez was returning to competitive action after eight months out with a serious head injury, so there was always likely to be a certain degree of expectation on his shoulders.

With the Mexican slowly returning to top form, there should be less of a goalscoring burden on Hwang going forward.

Everything he touches turns to goals

Hwang has had four shots on target in 426 minutes of Premier League football — and found the net with all of them.

Only three players in the division are currently scoring at a higher rate than the Chuncheon-born star’s 0.85 goals per 90 minutes — a figure which could improve further with another strike tonight.

Should he score in what would be his eighth appearance for Wolves in all competitions, Hwang would equal his record of five goals from 50 appearances in Germany.

On current form, it will not be long until the South Korean sensation eclipses that number for his new side.