2022/23 Season Preview: Wolverhampton Wanderers

After a disappointing finish to last year’s Premier League campaign, Wolves will look to build on their top-half finish with hopes of bringing European football back to Molineux.

Following the departure of once fan-favourite Nuno Espírito Santo, fellow Portuguese head coach Bruno Lage brought a new lease of life to a team which had fallen short of the recent heights of Europa League action seen in the club’s first two years back in the top flight.

After a tricky start to proceedings, a terrific run of victories soon followed with five wins in seven games and goals galore – a problem which had plagued the side in recent times.

Wolves maintained a convincing push for the top seven for the majority of the campaign, however, the final run-in proved to overshadow the promising groundwork laid down by Lage and co. with fans hopeful it is not a sign of things to come.

The Black Country based club looked unrecognisable in their final ten matches, picking up just eight points in a run which saw a series of disappointing defeats to Manchester City, Brighton and relegation-bound Burnley. The five at the back which had been lauded for its defensive discipline had begun to show cracks with just one clean sheet in this time while the attack was far from firing on all cylinders.

A change in system, however, has been apparent during pre-season and while such results should always be viewed with a pinch of salt, has shown some promising signs in the forward department. 

A more attacking approach has seen a more cohesive unit begin to form with the likes of Pedro Neto and Raúl Jiménez regulars on the scoresheet – two players who will need to be back to their best if Wolves are to fulfil their ambitions. 

A long-term injury seriously impaired Neto’s season making just five starts while the Mexican international looked a shadow of his former self as he looked to get back up to speed after a serious head injury. With the departure of young forward Fábio Silva, Jiménez remains as one of the only recognised no.9s at the club, with a lack of recruitment putting pressure on the main man to improve on his six-goal tally of last season.

Such non-existent recruitment has caused growing frustration among the Wolves fanbase, with the arrival of Burnley defender Nathan Collins remaining as the only new senior addition to the squad while regulars Romain Saïss, Marçal and Francisco Trincão have all departed. The Irish international does, however, strengthen what is arguably the team’s greatest asset, with the 21-year-old set to form a formidable backline pairing with stalwart Max Kilman.

Despite the poor end to the campaign, Wolves boasted the best defensive record outside the top four with the fullbacks contributing at both ends of their field with their creativity.

Talent such as Rayan Aït-Nouri should not be ignored and could be a vital component for a side aiming to be more threatening and clinical as we approach the opening weekend. The French left-back is another figure who has grabbed the headlines during pre-season thanks to his darting runs down the flanks and great link-up play with the frontline. 

Elsewhere, the retention of Rúben Neves services so far in this window cannot be underestimated. Many were resigned to the idea that the Portuguese star was calling time on life in Wolverhampton, but the no.8 is set to stay for the foreseeable future. A key piece in the 2017 promotion-winning side, Neves has been at the epicentre of Wolves’ meteoric rise from Championship mediocrity to European contenders in the past few years. 

From dictating play at the heart of the midfield to scoring some of the most iconic goals in the club’s history, the former Porto man is sure to go down as one of the greatest players to don the old gold and black and will continue to be a vital factor in determining how this season pans out.

Options in central midfield remain few and far between though, irrespective of the quality at play. A new one-year deal for veteran João Moutinho is welcomed with open arms to aid both Neves and Leander Dendoncker, while youngsters Connor Ronan and Luke Cundle complete the pecking order. 

The return of Morgan Gibbs-White could help bolster the midfield too, after a successful loan spell at Sheffield United last time out. Often playing further up in a no.10 position or as a false nine during his time in South Yorkshire, the Stafford-born star came with a point to prove, adding a cutting edge to his game in the final third. The 22-year-old registered 11 goals and nine assists, with six-goal contributions coming at the tail end of the season. Coming off the back of a promising campaign, Gibbs-White will be determined to get his career in the West Midlands back on track and chip in with some all-important goals in the near future.

Ultimately, there are many cogs in a machine for a team to succeed in the Premier League, and it is clear the foundations are in place at Wolverhampton Wanderers. While the quality in the starting eleven is clear, extra additions to the squad would not go amiss to help push the team to the next level while alleviating the pressure on standout stars with injury woes being an all too familiar problem at WV1.

Wolves will look to get their season started on the right foot as they make the trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United on Saturday August 6.

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