The revealing stat that all Wolves fans will approve of

Joao Moutinho leads the way in one specific area which captures his contributions Nuno's team

The primary objective in football is to score goals, that much is clear.

However, for that to happen, the ball usually has to reach the vicinity of the penalty box before a player is presented with the opportunity to shoot.

That is largely why players who are comfortable when required to execute penetrative forward passes are valuable in the modern game, as they contribute to their team's prospects of advancing up the pitch.

Some players prefer to place an emphasis on keeping possession by showcasing safe lateral passes, whereas others are naturally inclined to embrace risk, break lines and feed teammates higher up the field.

Wolves have completed 1,095 progressive passes in the Premier League this season which places them 11th in the Premier League table overall.

Progressive passes are defined as completed passes that move the ball towards the opposition's goal at least 10 yards from its furthest point in the last six passes, or completed passes into the penalty box.

So who are the key contributors to Wolves' ball progression? To determine, let's take a look at how frequently each player in the squad completes a progressive pass.

In the graphic below, Nuno Espirito Santo 's outfielders are ranked in accordance with number of touches per progressive pass, with all players who have accumulated at least 300 touches this season included.

For perspective, receiving a pass, then dribbling, then sending a pass counts as one touch.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Joao Moutinho is the most likely to play a progressive pass when on the ball. The 33 year-old averages a progressive pass roughly every nine touches, followed very closely by Matt Doherty who is posting effectively the same average.

Adama Traore then follows with one every 13.3 touches, ahead of Jonny Castro and Ruben Neves.

Moutinho places 24th in the Premier League overall, with Doherty ranking 25th. Once all players except for midfielders are excluded from the sample, the Portuguese is ranks sixth behind only Kevin De Bruyne, Jonjo Shelvey, James Maddison, Tom Davies and fellow compatriot - Bruno Fernandes.

The player who contributes to Wolves the least frequently is Conor Coady, with one progressive pass every 35.4 touches. That average places him 15th from bottom for the whole of the Premier League.

Despite that, though, it's worth noting that defenders tend to make passes of this nature less frequently, hence why Wily Boly and Leander Dendoncker also place near the bottom.

Ultimately, though, Moutinho is the key man for Wolves in terms of moving his team up the field. No player is more likely to bring Nuno's men forward with a pass when the ball is at his feet than the Portuguese.

Despite his age, Moutinho remains integral to any success witnessed at Molineux.