Premier League Wolves are 'good enough for top 10 now' says Benik Afobe

With only one game left of the season Wolves have been promoted as champions and will reach the 100-point mark if they avoid defeat at Sunderland on Sunday.

Afobe said the achievement – and celebrations of the past few weeks – would stay with him forever.

“Probably for everyone that’s involved it’s their biggest achievement,” he said.

“For a lot of players this will stay with them for the rest of their lives, not just careers. I’m definitely in that category.

“It’s been a long time coming to get back in the Premier League. I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in promotions before, twice. With MK Dons I only played half the season then came here but played in my fair share. I played three games for Reading when I was about 19 and they got promoted to the Premier League, but I wasn’t a big part of it.

“I love this club and to be a big part of promotion where you’re happy means a lot. When you’re a forward, you’re winning games, you’re champions, you’re scoring goals, your family feel comfortable and you’re injury free, there’s no better feeling to be honest.”

For striker Afobe, his attention will now turn to his long-term future.

The Bournemouth front-man has scored six times since returning to Wolves on loan and has made his feelings about staying quite clear. I’ve always thought about it, even the first day I signed,” he said of where his future lies.

“At the same time you’ve got to focus on the job ahead of you and that’s been to score a few goals and help the team be champions. So far I’ve done that – and the team have. I’m not going to say too much but everyone knows how much Wolves means to me. I’ve played 16 games now, seven starts and I’ve given 100 per cent every time.

As a man who's made 63 appearances in the Premier League in the past two and a bit years, Afobe is well aware of the quality required to stay in the top flight.

And he believes that not only would this current Wolves squad stay up...they could even reach the top half.

It what could be a hugely exciting time in the club's history, loanee Afobe is clearly keen to be part of it.

"Even with the squad we have now I think we’d finish in the top 10," he said.

"I don’t think the Premier League is as strong as it has been over the last 10 years or so.

"The togetherness of this team, the way the manager sets us up, the way we train, the support we have from the fans and staff behind closed doors, it’s great.

"With more additions I think this squad can be established in the Premier League."

How does this Wolves setup compare with what he's been used to at Bournemouth since January 2016?

"As with Bournemouth it’s a tight unit," Afobe said. "They’ve built something where they could be a Premier League two for the next five to 10 years.

"Eddie Howe is great at getting everyone together working for each other and this manager is the same.

"They’re pretty similar in those terms.

"It’s a bright time for Wolves. The fans know how it’s been for the last few years with back-to-back relegations, then promoted from League One and finishing in the bottom half of the Championship last year.

"(This season) makes a change! Hopefully this club can keep building and become one of those teams that everyone in England looks at and thinks 'wow that’s a great place to go'.

"The stadium's great, we have a massive fanbase and we want to be the biggest club in the Midlands, for sure."

It's big talk from Afobe but it reflects the confidence at a club that, from top to bottom, believes it is going places.

Afobe has just been pleased to have contributed to the team's success – and after a slow start admits it's a relief to have shown Nuno Espirito Santo what he can do in the form of his six goals.

"It’s a relief to get the goals, especially when you’re on, not trial, but on loan," he added.

"I didn’t have a great start to the season at Bournemouth so people doubted me.

"I’ve always said I’m going to silence the critics. I’ve got little brothers and sisters and cousins who send me what people say, so I see it all but I don’t pay attention to it. It just makes me more hungry.

"I reckon about 75 per cent of people doubted me when I came back. It makes me laugh because I know what I can do.

"I’ll do my talking on the pitch."

The striker also believes he's improved as a player.

"I’m getting older and more mature," he said. "I play for the team more now than I used to, not because I was selfish because but you realise you can’t win a game by yourself.

"Before I’d be frustrated if I was isolated in a 4-5-1 with the ball going long, I’m not really a target man.

"I’ve adapted my game now, I get myself in better positions.

"The older I’ve got the more I’ve realised about better movement, not wasting your energy running into channels when you don’t need to.

"I can say I’m very happy with how things have gone for myself personally.

"Everyone thought I was going to hit the ground running like I did in my first spell (but) I was on the bench for the first seven games, people forget that.

"Appearances ramp up but I go on my minutes to goal ratio (a goal every 116 minutes at Wolves this season), I’ve always done that.

"At Bournemouth I scored 11 goals in 70 games but if you look at the players who’ve scored 10+ goals at Bournemouth I probably had the best goals to minutes ratio.

"I don’t really think about things like that. I know what I’ve got to do and what I need to improve on.

"I’m still only 25, I think I’ve done well and I don't listen to what people say. I haven’t missed many chances, apart from the first three or four games!

"There was a lot of adapting that had to happen.

"I listened to the staff, it look me three or four weeks but the boys, the manager and the staff have been great with me."