PLANNING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP: ASSESSING THE WOLVES SQUAD FOR NEXT YEAR (PART 2)

Wing-Backs:

Matt Doherty 

Sadly, Matt Doherty has been somewhat of a liability this season; he appears to have lost half a yard of pace which has seen his defensive ability compromised and taken advantage of countless times this season, whilst at both wing back and centre back he has been exposed. Being such a great servant of the club as he has been, I would argue that having him at the club is still important and he can be a sufficient backup option in the Championship, but his time as a regular starter is clearly behind him. The alternative would be losing him for free in the summer, so as I still believe he can be a highly beneficial character, mentor, and option off the bench, it would be preferable to renew his contract necessitating that he doesn’t command wages in excess of what he offers the team.

Jackson Tchatchoua 

I have been extraordinarily frustrated by Tchatchoua this season; he is a player with such immense potential and a deadly weapon in his pace, but for such an exciting prospect he has severely underdelivered so far. He always seems to try to use his speed at the wrong times and seems scared to go forwards even though he has the pace to do so and to recover. On the ball he too seems overly cautious and reluctant to try anything remotely risky. In the Championship, he could either be devastatingly positive, or his lack of general physicality could see him bullied by the opposition. Due to these issues, I can see both value in keeping him in the squad and trying harness his abilities, but would also not be wholly opposed to generating some profit for him if the right offer came in.

Rodrigo Gomes

One of my favourite players from this current crop is young Rodrigo Gomes; his unerring passion, want and drive for the club is undeniable and somewhat bizarre – we have had many a player of his talents and age view us as a stepping stone to greater things, but for the time being at least Rodrigo leaves everything out on the pitch and seems to have a genuine love of the club. He has been a creative spark for us providing energy, fearlessness, and a fair few goals as well in spite of being used as an impact substitute primarily. He really makes the most of every minute he gets on the pitch. He may well generate interest, but hopefully we are able to keep hold of him for years to come (his contract expires in 2029 with an option to extend by 1 year) and next season hopefully he may well even emerge as a first name on the team sheet or in a more advanced role. 

Hugo Bueno

Hugo has been another up and down player for me this season; whilst he has had some highlights going forwards especially, defensively he has been fairly poor throughout. I would argue this has been because he has been thrown in the deep end by the lack of reinvestment after the sale of Ait-Nouri, leaving him with some sizeable shoes to fill when he is not quite at the necessary level to do so. That being said, next season he may come into his own but again, I am unsure if a starting role is primed for him to take up next season, especially given the physicality of the Championship. I think that a more experienced wing back to offer some solidity and mentorship would be highly beneficial to Bueno and allow him to fulfil the potential he clearly possesses.

David Moller Wolfe

Since arriving in the summer and being touted as the successor to Ait-Nouri, Wolfe’s performances have been severely underwhelming, offering very little at both ends of the field. Accepting that it takes a certain degree of talent to be able to provide creativity like Rayan did, you hope for someone who can still be effective in attack but maybe even offer more defensive cover than Ait-Nouri did, however Wolfe has been ineffectual at both for the most part. Having been signed for around £10 million (and largely due to connections with Strand-Larsen who has since moved on), if able to make some profits I believe it may well be best for all parties if he were to move on.

Pedro Lima 

In spite of his insubstantial game time, he looks a promising talent who needs to be offered some consistent game time and have faith placed upon him by a manager. He definitely should not be sold but perhaps would benefit from game time out on loan.

Central Midfielders:

Andre 

In spite of not quite having hit the heights he did last season Andre has still been one of the most consistent performers in the squad; he puts out 7/10 performances at least every week but has struggled amidst a team that has had overwhelming systematic and personnel changes over the course of the season. He brings great tenacity, passion, and determination to the side, keeping things ticking over through the midfield. Even though he has not been as good as he has shown he can be this year, he is still undoubtedly one of the stronger players in the side and one of the more crucial players; keeping him seems unlikely as a player of his talents will likely attract interest from top sides, although we are under little financial pressure to sell anyone. It would be ideal to keep hold of him, but it would be negligent not to assume he will be on his way. 

Joao Gomes 

Onto the most prized asset of the team – Joao Gomes. His season has been topsy turvy like so many of his peers this season; he has had periods where he has been dropped to the bench, some periods of poor performances and some majestical games where he looks like one of the best midfielders in the league. He can be devastating at both ends of the pitch, harrying defensively and gliding forwards with an unusually large box of tricks for a defensive midfielder making him a highly entertaining player to watch too. However, even more certain than the departure of Andre is that Joao Gomes will no longer be a Wolves player next season with elite teams such as Napoli being touted as possible destinations for him, meaning that an overhaul of the midfield will be absolutely pivotal to success next year.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde 

Bellegarde has been another player who has endured a season of ups and downs, having a run of a few games where he looked excellent before returning to his standard levels of performance. It is a fair assessment to say that Bellegarde has underwhelmed during his time at Wolves and never really hit the heights set for him at Wolves; aside from notching 7 assists last term he has not been massively impressive throughout his time here. He is a useful asset nonetheless as a squad player in an especially short-staffed midfield and would be a loss for the squad were he to depart however he is yet another who if a sizeable enough bid and profit came in for him, the club probably ought to accept it and reinvest to allow someone else an opportunity to succeed where he has not.

Angel Gomes 

As a new addition to the side, it is far too soon to make assumptions about Angel Gomes based purely off his performances for Wolves, and as far as next season is concerned, he will almost definitely be part of the squad having been newly recruited in January (presumably well aware that we will be a Championship side next year). We are aware that he has excelled at Marseille and been a key part of the England youth setup and briefly impressed at the senior level as well. Based on this, he could well prove a particularly important player for Wolves next season at progressing the ball and being positive from the midfield but could also very easily struggle in a league based more around physicality than technicality. Nevertheless, it is too soon to tell and so we must maintain our reservations before jumping to conclusions.