Wolves can unleash £12.8m wildcard who looks tailor-made for the Championship

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde is edging towards a return for Wolves, and the Championship could provide the perfect stage for the midfielder to flourish.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have had to begin their Championship campaign without Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, but Cesar Peixoto may have the Haitian up his sleeve soon.

The 28-year-old is yet to feature this season after suffering a hamstring injury shortly after returning to Compton following his involvement at the World Cup.

Bellegarde has subsequently missed Wolves' opening five matches of the season, though Peixoto revealed ahead of last week's defeat to West Ham that he is "getting closer" and should only be sidelined for a couple of weeks.

And after Wolves made another late addition to the squad in Bertrand Traore, an interesting registration decision has offered further indication that Bellegarde still has a part to play at Molineux.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has endured a frustrating spell at Wolves

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On deadline day at the end of the summer 2023 transfer window, Wolves parted with £12.8 million to bring Bellegarde to the West Midlands from Strasbourg, handing him a five-year contract after an impressive start to the Ligue 1 campaign.

Replacing Matheus Nunes following his move to Manchester City, the midfielder brought bags of athleticism, pace and energy to the side, and impressed on his debut against Liverpool.

However, he has only shown this in flashes since, with Bellegarde struggling to really establish himself as one of Wolves' best.

His second season at Old Gold was his most productive by a fair margin, with seven assists alongside two goals from 35 Premier League appearances, and a surge in form under Vitor Pereira in the second half of the term.

But, as was the case for many within the ranks at Molineux, this was not carried into the 2025/26 term, when Bellegarde scored once and registered just one assist.

Championship football could bring the best out of Bellegarde

Bellegarde has always been a slightly difficult player to define at Wolves, with Gary O'Neil, Pereira and Rob Edwards all deploying him across a range of positions both in the middle and out wide.

However, the same qualities mentioned when Wolves signed him could pay dividends in the second tier.

In the Premier League last term, Bellegarde completed 60% of dribbles per 90, though this was a relatively low figure of 1.29.

But the Haitian registered just 51.15 touches per 90 - a low number for an all-action midfielder, but a number that makes sense when it is considered that Wolves sat 18th in the league for average possession, with 42.7%.

In his final year in France, Bellegarde notched 64.86 touches per 90, while average possession sat at 45.8%. Then, his dribbling rate naturally sat higher at 2.11 per 90.

Thus far this term, Wolves' average possession sits at 53.2%, but they have struggled in midfield outside of Fer Lopez, who has often had to drop deeper to help progress through the lines.

Bellegarde is a natural ball carrier, averaging four per 90 before his Premier League move, and his impact with the ball at his feet will only improve in a side with more of the ball, against non-Premier League opposition.

Wolves squad decision hints that Bellegarde has a role to play

Following the closing of the transfer window, the arrival of former Aston Villa and Sunderland winger Traore created a complication for Wolves, who already had a full squad of senior players and had to make room in their registered Championship squad.

Both Bellegarde and Santi Bueno had been linked with potential departures over the summer, but the Uruguayan defender was ultimately left out of the registered squad, with Bellegarde retaining his place.

There is competition for places at Molineux, but the inability to get out of the Birmingham press on Sunday indicates that a midfielder of Bellegarde's ilk can provide an impact this term, should Peixoto begin handing him minutes upon his return to fitness in the coming weeks.