With Raúl Jiménez in the form of his life, scoring 17 in 32 competitive games this season, it seems like a cynical topic to bring up. But what will Wolverhampton Wanderers do if the worst were to happen?
Italian forward Patrick Cutrone was brought in as a backup from AC Milan in the summer for a figure in the region of £15m. However, Nuno Espirito Santo has been reluctant to use the striker, and he has made a mere 12 Premier League appearances (coming off the bench on nine of those occasions). There is a potential that Nuno will allow the striker to leave this January, but it is still unclear whether or not that will be the case.
If he were to leave, where does Nuno look next?
First glimpses
The name Benny Ashley-Seal wouldn't have meant much to most football fans before Saturday night's encounter with Manchester United - and yet it still may not. However, Ashley-Seal, in the first half, proved why he is touted as the next up and coming forward in Wolves' academy.
Just six minutes into Ashley-Seal's first ever Wolves start, he charged at United's star studded defence, he simply by passed Victor Lindelöf and headed straight for Harry Maguire. As the 21-year-old forced the most expensive defender in world football into hoofing the ball away for a corner, it was clear this boy had set out with a point to prove.
Nuno immediately was impressed by his instant impact and had this to say about the youngster: "He was good. Benny did well, started well with a couple of runs and gave Maguire and Lindelof a few problems.
He’s a young boy, he’s progressing. He works with us every day but he doesn’t have the competition so let’s give him space."
Another loan spell?
Despite spending the majority of last season out on loan at eventual Portuguese promotion winners, Famalicão (only making five appearances, all from the bench). Nuno has put trust in the young, English, centre-forward.
Ashley-Seal has proved he can be the prolific, promising talent he is expected to be by scoring a goal every other game in this year's Premier League 2 campaign.
As part of the u23s squad he has also gained experiences against more sides than just the occasional Carlisle United in the EFL Cup (where he did actually score a hat-trick). Wolves qualified for the International Cup this year, and that is the stage in which Ashley-Seal has tested his talents up against Europe's elite, such as French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Verdict
From Nuno's post-match reaction of his performance on the weekend, it appears as though the youngster is set to stay with Wolves, progress, and maybe even become their future number nine.
Benny Ashley-Seal has the physicality to be moulded into a target man - just as he was intended to be when the then 18-year-old was brought in from Norwich City's academy. Some might say he is the ideal eventual replacement for Jiménez in the coming years, and given the right coaching, I'd be inclined to agree.
