Gary O’Neil shocked everyone last season with his performance in charge of Wolves. Can he build on that this time around?
By Sam McGuire
What happened last season?
Wolves finished 14th in the English top-flight. On paper, their 2022/23 campaign was better with a 13th-place finish. However, O’Neil’s men racked up five more points last season and scored 19 more goals.
It was a successful campaign, especially so after losing club captain Rúben Neves in the summer.
Had their end-of-season form not been so terrible, a top-half finish was on the cards for Wolves after a run of seven wins in 11 matches. However, they won just one of their final 10 and missed out on a 10th-place finish by just three points. If they’d added six points to their total, they would’ve finished level with ninth-place West Ham United.
Fine margins, eh?
A better end to the season and they’re in ninth position. A better end to the season and they could’ve been playing in an FA Cup semi-final. Wolves held the lead over Coventry City heading into the final minutes only to concede two goals in stoppage time.
In truth, their defence was an issue all season. They managed to keep just five clean sheets in the Premier League and had the sixth-highest Expected Goals Conceded total. Combine that with the fourth-lowest xG and you quickly realise how lucky they were not to be in a relegation battle.
The scoring exploits of Hee-Chan Hwang and Matheus Cunha kept them out of a relegation dog fight. The pair netted 12 goals each, enjoying their best goalscoring runs in England under O’Neil. Pedro Neto despite the injuries, racked up nine assists. It goes to show that Wolves, when everyone is fit and firing, have a forward line that can cause a number of teams some problems. If they build around that area of the team, while improving the defence, they’ll be a handful.
What has happened during the summer?
Wolves lost skipper Max Kilman. The centre-back joined West Ham United in a deal worth £40million. He is yet to be replaced in the squad but there’s still time before the transfer window closes.
The club have made signings though. Rodrigo Gomes, a Portuguese winger, joined from Braga. The highly-rated Pedro Lima moved to Molineux despite reported interest from free-spending Chelsea. Tommy Doyle made a £5million move from Manchester City while Jørgen Strand Larsen joined on loan from Celta Vigo to bolster the forward line.
It will be interesting to see how the club spend the Kilman money.
The most important thing for Wolves this summer was to keep hold of João Gomes and Neto. Manchester United were reportedly keen on the former but Chelsea’s offer for the latter was too good to turn down. Keeping your best players is always beneficial so we’ll see what impact that loss has on O’Neil’s plans in the coming weeks.
What they should be aiming for next season?
Firstly, they need to avoid a relegation battle. Once they have achieved that, they should start looking at a mid-table finish. If that is secured, then a top-half finish. Wolves have the squad to finish in a comfortable position. Are they able to defend well enough though? That is the big question heading into this campaign. If they can shore things up, they’ll be fine. If they’re as porous as last season, they’re going to struggle.
Prediction: 15th
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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