Thursday 17 December 2015 07:04, UK
Ahead of Wolves versus Leeds on Thursday night, part of Sky's 10 in 10 from the Football League, Adam Bate looks at the stats that suggest Jack Price could be an important figure at Molineux...
Having come through the club's academy, Jack Price isn't the biggest name at Wolves and he's been in and out of the team this season. But there's reason to believe his quiet influence on Kenny Jackett's midfield shouldn't be overlooked.
Incredibly, despite being involved regularly over the past three seasons, playing 70 games for Wolves, Price is yet to find himself on the losing side in any league game he has started at Molineux.
The run dates back to September 2013 when he made his full league debut in a 2-0 win over Sheffield United and has since extended through 23 games and two divisions.
Perhaps that blemish-free record was not too surprising in the club's League One title-winning season in 2013/14 as Wolves powered their way through the campaign.
However, since then progress has proven more problematic and Jackett's men currently find themselves in the bottom half of the Championship.
Indeed, Wolves have lost more times than they've won at Molineux this season - but not, significantly, when Price has been named in the team.
Is it time for the manager to reconsider the importance of a player who was allowed to leave on loan for Yeovil in the early part of last season?
Lee Evans was preferred to Price at that stage only for the midfielder to win back his place, his return coinciding with a dramatic upturn in fortunes that propelled Wolves to the brink of the play-offs.
The signing of Conor Coady from Huddersfield in the summer once again put Price's position in jeopardy and he did not feature at all in the club's first seven games of the Championship season.
However, since coming back into the team, Wolves have lost only one of the nine games he has started - home and away. The two Molineux matches for which he was dropped again were both lost.
Clearly, Price's neat and tidy use of the ball has its merits. He boasts the best passing accuracy of any Wolves midfielder this season - up over 80 per cent - and has a key role defensively too.
While Coady's more conspicuous capacity to get stuck in might appear more impressive, it's debatable whether or not it's actually more effective.
The former Liverpool man made an early impression with some good performances in August and makes more tackles than Price.
However, Price makes more than twice as many interceptions per 90 minutes. That's his style and, as a result, it means his combined total of tackles and interceptions is greater than that of Coady.
Price brings control - only Kevin McDonald can compete with his number of passes per game - without the need to display the sort of aggression that saw Coady sent off against Brighton.
The unassuming 22-year-old isn't likely to be putting his hand up for media interviews and he still isn't a guaranteed starter at Wolves. But his record suggests Jackett should rethink that situation sooner rather than later.
Wolves v Leeds is live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7.30pm on Thursday
