WE ASKED WOLVES FANS TO TELL US HOW THEY WERE FEELING AHEAD OF THE OPENING PREMIER LEAGUE GAME AND HOW THEY THOUGHT THE SEASON WOULD PAN OUT
Always Wolves love to bring you genuine fan content so we asked fans to submit a few words about how they thought Wolves would get on this season, things that excited them and things that concerned them. This is what they had to say…
LOUIE LEFEVRE
An active summer transfer window coupled with a decent pre-season has given us reason to be cautiously optimistic for the coming season. The arrivals of Larsen, Gomes and Lima are sure to be the main talking points but I’m marking Yerson Mosquera as my man to watch. The Colombian returns almost as a new signing after a couple of positive loan spells and looks to have plenty to offer in a back four, primarily partnered with Toti. I predict he will have a big part in a season where Wolves will return to the top-half of the Premier League around 9th.
My main concern for Gary O’Neil going forward is the number of players with seemingly no plans. The likes of Daniel Podence, Fabio Silva and Chem Campbell should resurface soon to prevent a situation where Wolves end up paying players to sit at home all season.
JOHN TARAS
After a productive Transfer window so far Wolves have had a promising pre-season. I’m optimistic that we will surprise a few teams. Our new exciting additions; Jorgen Strand Larsen looks imposing with the bonus of having good ball skills. Rodrigo has shown already he has the ability to race up and down the pitch scoring goals already. Pedro Lima will I’m sure fit into full back easily. The combination of Toti Gomes and Yerson Mosquera will be a revelation in defence. I hope we will finish at least in the top ten, with few injuries, top six! Biggest concern is VAR!
MIKE LUCAS
The old gold is back as the new season gets ready to go. I think I share the view of the majority of Wolves fans that something good is brewing under Gary O’Neil at Molineux. I’m certainly looking forward to the season, and even though Pedro Neto has now departed, I still think with 3 or 4 new additions, we should rightly expect a top 8 finish and push for Europe. There will be teams with the same thought process, but the reason I think Wolves have an edge is that we now have a number 9, a manager who is very good tactically, some excellent young players and experienced ones. It’s a squad that all pulls together when it’s tough and doesn’t hide. We do need backup players, though, for centre-back, a natural winger, and another backup striker. Those positions are vital and could make the difference between a top-half finish and finishing in Europe. There are a few players who could have an excellent season for us, but I’m particularly excited to see how Mosquera handles the Premier League. I do think after his games in pre-season that he will show he can manage the game and its physical side. He is good on the ball, has a bit of pace, and is a big, tall centre-half. So, I’m going for Mosquera as my standout player for the forthcoming season.
With the season fast approaching, I am mostly looking forward to seeing how the partnership of Cunha, Gomes, and Larsen plays out. I think Gomes is a fast and tricky winger that some defenders won’t cope with. In Larsen, I believe he will bag goals and assists, as he has already shown during pre-season with 3 assists. I think the partnership up top with these 3 will get all the gold and black off their seats.
There are a couple of slight concerns for the squad, though, but I do believe Hobbs and O’Neil will sort that out, probably not before the Arsenal game. My first concern is the depth at the back. With Bueno going out on loan, we don’t have enough depth, as I don’t like playing a right wing back at left back. We need to bring in an experienced centre-half. My other concern is that we need another winger and a centre midfielder, whether defensive or attacking, as I believe Cundle and Traore will go out on loan. That then only leaves Doyle as cover with a bit of experience, so we need to bring in a Premier League-experienced midfielder.
PAM WELLS
I am so excited for the season to come. It’s a shame that Neto won’t be part of the squad but we have had to manage without him during his injuries. I think Gary O’Neil has assembled a great squad with a mix of experience and youth and if we perform like we did in pre-season I cant see any reason we can’t finish around 7th place. The main thing that worries me is reverting back to four at the back. I just hope we will be strong enough in defence.
I think Rodrigo Gomes is a player to look out for as a potential player of the season in the future but could be just a season too early for him. My choice for players of the season will be Matheus Cunha. He has become such an important player for us everything about his game is impressive and he is versatile and can play in so many roles.
Scott Drame
I think Wolves will finish 7th. We have the squad depth for it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we finish higher. The standout player will be Rodrigo Games after a good performance in pre-season against West Ham. I’m excited to see how high we may finish and how O’Neil manages the team. My one concern is the defence; we don’t have enough experience if a main player gets injured.
Jay Turley
For the first pre-season since Nuno’s days, I feel optimistic about the season ahead. Wolves have made some great signings, especially Rodrigo Gomes, who seems a bargain at just under £13 million if he maintains his pre-season form. The return of a couple of loan players has been a much-needed boost to last year’s squad, which lacked numbers. Particularly, Yerson Mosquera has returned as an experienced player after successful loan spells in the MLS with FC Cincinnati and in La Liga with Villarreal, who are reportedly interested in re-signing him. However, I believe Gary O’Neil sees Mosquera as vital in the new style back four this season. Sadly, we all knew we might have to sell one of our big assets and Pedro Neto is heading to Chelsea in a reported £54 million deal. Although Neto is one of my favourite players, I think keeping Ait-Nouri, Joao Gomes, and Matheus Cunha was more important, as Neto has struggled with knee, ankle, and hamstring injuries over the past four seasons. I’m happy with the current squad because I feel we have at least two good options in every position, except in goal, and Gary O’Neil will probably reinvest a bit of the money from the sales of Kilman, Neto, and possibly Silva.
Prediction – Between 7th – 10th
Signing of the season – Rodrigo Gomes
Young Player of the season – Pedro Lima (used as a sub)
Player of the season – Mario Lemina
My Best 11 when fit.
Sa, Mosquera, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Semedo, Lemina, J.Gomes, R.gomes, Cunha, Hwang, Larsen
KARL WHITEHOUSE
Wolves to finish in 10th place. The reason for this is our exciting group of players who are hungry for success, led by captain Mario Lemina. He can unite the group with motivation and togetherness.
There are two standout players to watch: Jorgen Strand Larsen, in the number 9 position, knows how to score and support his teammates. He could hit 15+ goals this season. Rodrigo Gomes, an exciting prospect, scored three goals in pre-season and will be key to the team’s success.
The team is playing good attacking football with a bit of flair, causing problems for opponents. One concern is the move from a back five to a back four. Let’s hope this change doesn’t cause any issues or imbalance.
J MICHAEL GRAY
As a new football season fast approaches, I’m confident that the Wolves will be in the hunt for a top 10 spot in the standings. After a full campaign with Gary O’Neil and an intriguing mix of new and returning players, I think they’re primed for a strong run.
One such reason for my optimism is newcomer, Rodrigo Gomes. In just a short time, he’s endeared himself to Wolves fans with his enthusiastic play and nose for the goal. His progression over the coming year will be exciting to watch.
The one question however, that may define the Wolves season is this…will they find a way to replace the game changing play and production of Pedro Neto?
Let’s hope the answer is yes.
GEORGE LAKIN
With the recent sale of Pedro Neto, a lot will now depend on how effectively those funds are reinvested. As it stands, I don’t see us finishing higher than 12th.
O’Neil has already stated that we won’t be directly replacing Neto, which is fairly obvious, as bringing in a player of that quality would cost a small fortune. This likely means we will bring in a few younger players to develop.
I think that means we probably have to view this as another season of development, as we cannot expect young, unestablished players to hit the ground running in the Premier League.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great when they do—like João Gomes—but he’s the exception that proves the rule.
Like many fans, I don’t think the transition to a back four will suit us. I get the sense it’s history repeating itself. I believe we have personnel more suited to a back five, and I expect us to return to that formation at some point during next season—which I think will result in more points on the board.
I don’t think we will be in any massive danger of relegation, and I believe it will ultimately be a fairly stable, if unspectacular, season in the league—hopefully, a decent cup run will complement this.
We finished 14th last season, but surely without the injuries that ravaged us towards the end, we’d have finished a place or two higher. I’m going to bear that in mind and be as optimistic as I feel we realistically can be.
Final verdict
Under Gary’s capable stewardship, I’m going to say our final position will be right at the top end of my initial cautious estimate: 12th.
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