Premier League Predictions: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves have it all to do this season having lost key players this summer without really replacing them. Another difficult campaign could be on the cards now that manager Julen Lopetegui walked out on the eve of the 2023/24 kicking off.
How the team did last season
In the end, a 13th-place finish wasn’t so bad. However, they were just seven points outside of the relegation zone and finished with nine fewer points than the previous campaign (50).
Under Bruno Lage, Wolves got off to a horrific start. They won just three of their opening 18 matches and lost on 10 occasions. Lage was sacked and Steve Davies stepped in as caretaker manager for over a month until the appointment of Lopetegui.
Their form in the second half of the campaign was enough to beat the drop. They beat the likes of Liverpool, Spurs, Aston Villa, Brentford and Chelsea. The key month though was April as they picked up 10 points from a possible 18. It was this run that essentially guaranteed their survival.
Across the board, it was a disappointing season for practically all of the players. Sasa Kalajdzic was signed to lead the line and he picked up an ACL on his debut that ended his season in September. In his absence, Wolves struggled for goals and found the back of the net on just 31 occasions – the lowest of any team in the Premier League. Daniel Podence and Rúben Neves finished as the joint-top scorers with six. Raúl Jiménez and Diego Costa struggled to get on the scoresheet.
Neves was the standout performer in what turned out to be his final season with the club. He claimed the highest average of the season on FotMob (7.34), was one of only three players to create over 30 chances and finished with the highest Expected Assists total (5.2).
What has happened during the summer?
We’ll start with outgoings.
Neves finally left the club. The midfield maestro was linked with Barcelona but made a surprising move to Al-Hilal. He was into the final 12 months of his deal at Molineux and Wolves did manage to pocket a hefty £47million for their captain. All things considered, it was good business. Though he does need to be replaced.
Nathan Collins also departed. Brentford paid a club record fee (£23million) to bring the centre-back to the club just 12 months after Wolves signed him from Burnley for a reported £20million.
The 22-year-old made 26 appearances for Wolves last season and was part of the first-team picture. As of yet, no replacement has been signed for him.
Raúl Jiménez left to join Fulham and former club captain Conor Coady returned from his loan spell with Everton to be sold to Leicester City.
Wolves haven’t done much in the transfer market yet to combat these departures. Boubacar Traoré arrived from Metz. He’s a defensive midfielder and could fill the void, positionally, left by Neves. He doesn’t exactly share a playing profile with the Portuguese playmaker though.
Matt Doherty returned to the club after a brief stint with Atlético Madrid.
Then, with the Premier League season just a couple of days away, Lopetegui parted ways with the club. According to reports, the former Spain boss felt let down by the owners in the market this summer. Gary O’Neil, formerly of Bournemouth, is expected to replace him.
What they should be aiming for next season?
This is another team who struggled last season and have now weakened their side while their manager isn’t at the previous level. Kalajdzic is an unknown in the league but there’s a huge overreliance on him to deliver. If he fails or struggles, where are the goals going to come from? Without goals, it is a case of keeping clean sheets and Wolves weren’t necessarily good at that last season, conceding 58 goals in their 38 matches.
It isn’t Kalajdzic or bust but this team won’t be far off that.
Prediction
17th.
(Images from IMAGO)
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