Fans are excited for the rebirth of Wolves to the English top flight.
Molineux, one of the oldest stadiums in the football league, sighs of nostalgia for the glory days of the 50s.
However, under new ownership and with seemingly unrestricted access to Jorge Mendes’ client list, Wolves fans have plenty of reasons to be optimistic. Here’s what to expect from the newly promoted side.
Wolves’ journey back to the Premier League
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The story of Wolves’ quantum leap back into the Premier League begins in 2016. The club was acquired by one of China’s biggest privately owned companies, Fosun International.
Despite some big money signings, such as Portuguese pair Helder Costa and Ivan Cavaleiro, it was a disappointing first season under Chinese ownership. Wolves’ campaign was largely thwarted by a carousel of unsuccessful managers.
The turning point came the following summer with the appointment of Nuno Santo. Nuno arrived with a big reputation. In his five years in management up to that point he had guided Rio Ave to European football, Valencia to a top four finish, and had a stint at Porto.
A host of new faces followed Nuno to Molineaux; most notably Ruben Neves for £16 million and Willy Boly and Diogo Jota on loan deals. Wolves consequently stormed to the Championship title, finishing just a point shy of 100.
But the involvement of one man steeps Wolves’ journey back to the top flight in controversy: super agent Jorge Mendes.
Not only does Mendes manage all the players mentioned above but acts as an adviser to Fosun International and has had Nuno Santo on his books since the manager’s playing days back in the 90s.
However, the football league deemed there is nothing untoward about the relationship and the unlikely alliance continues to go from strength to strength.
Style of play
Nuno deploys a 3-4-3 formation and won many admirers, especially during the first half of the season, for his side’s intense style of play.
At a cursory glance the figures from the last campaign show a statistical discrepancy. According to Premierleague.com, Wolves were only eight in terms of shots recorded, fifth in terms of possession, and spent the joint lowest amount of time in the opposition’s final third. Yet, despite this, they still managed to create the most chances.
Wolves were simply much cannier and more efficient than the competition and have the ability to hurt their opponent from anywhere on the pitch.
Converted centre back Conor Coady completed 290 long-range passes, a figure only second in the division to team-mate Ruben Neves. In a side full of standout players, Neves was the most pivotal.
Similarly to Nuno’s Valencia side, Wolves main focus is on the flanks. Neves’ long sweeping balls have the ability to pick out the wide men who do the glut of damage. Winger Ivan Cavaleiro registered 12 assists; while, wing back Barry Douglas added 14.
However, the majority of the latter came from set-pieces. This is an area Wolves did top the statistic charts, as they did for goals on the counter attack, as well as points collected at home – all essential areas for any promoted side.
New signings and new season
It’s been a highly fruitful transfer window for the Wanderers thus far. Vitally, they tied down Jota and Boly, as well as Brazilian Léo Bonatini on permanent contracts.
Wolves have also said ‘olá’ to another couple of Portuguese stars who are both, surprise, surprise, Jorge Mendes clients.
Firstly, they signed goalkeeper Rui Patricio. The keeper left Sporting Lisbon after last season’s infamous training ground attack and arrives in the Midlands with a huge pedigree.
Patricio is a European Championship winner and received much acclaim for his acrobatic prodigies in this summer’s World Cup.
Another coup was the purchase of João Moutinho. Remarkably, the highly decorated midfielder cost Wolves just £5 million. Moutinho may be 31 but his strengths lie in his footballing IQ rather than physical prowess.
Although Moutinho can play in a more advanced role, fans will likely see him in a potentially mouth-watering partnership with Neves in the pivot. The diminutive Portuguese will add bucket loads of composure, consistency, and start quality needed for the Premier League.
An astute loan signing was left back Jonny Castro from Atletico Madrid. Many feel Jonny has a case for a starting place with his parent club; however, he is battling World Cup winner Lucas Hernandez and veteran Filipe Luis for the position.
One area that Wolves will still look to strengthen is up top. I wonder if Jorge Mendes has any bona-fide goal getters on his books?
Overall, things look extremely positive for Wolves. They’ve bought well and young stars such as Jota and Neves have the capacity to prosper in the top flight.
Wolves’ style of play seems conducive with success in the Premier League; while, Nuno has shown the tactical nous and mettle to adapt when necessary in the past.
Of course the watch word for any newly promoted side is survival, but Wolves seem an exception and a top half finish is far from fanciful.
How do you think Wolves will fare this season?