Offensive issues and off-field obscurity: Wolves 2023/24 Season Preview

All you need to know ahead of Wolves' Premier League opener on Monday night.

Offensive issues and off-field obscurity: Wolves 2023/24 Season Preview
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 05: Rayan Ait-Nouri of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates with teammates after scoring the team's first goal during the pre-season friendly match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Stade Rennais at Molineux on August 05, 2023 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)
billy-dobson
By Billy Dobson

With one week to go until Wolves kick off their Premier League campaign, discontent among a passionate fan base seems to be reaching a boiling point. 

The West Midlands outfit are in a precarious position, with last seasons threat of relegation seemingly becoming a much stronger threat over the summer. 

With financial issues casting doubts over the future of manager Julen Lopetegui, there are still lots of questions to answer before Wolves' pay visit to Manchester United on Monday night. 

  • How did they do last season?

Wolves' 2022/23 campaign was their worst since promotion to the league in 2018, as the Black Country outfit finished the season in 13th with 41 points.

Bruno Lage tried to work with a paper-thin squad at the beginning of the season, but was ultimately dismissed after eight league games, picking up a mere six points in the process. 

Under 23's boss Steve Davis was made interim manager for a seven game period, amassing four points, and was replaced by the experienced Lopetegui after the World Cup break.

The Spaniard turned Molineux into a fortress, picking up seven home wins in the second half of the season, keeping a clean sheet in all seven outings. 

  • Outgoings

Lopetegui has conducted a summer clear-out at Molineux, firmly ending Nuno Espirito Santo's magical chapter at the club. 

Club captain Ruben Neves' six-year stay in the West Midlands has finally come to an end, joining Al Hilal for a club record sale of £47m. Neves' departure meant for a second consecutive season, Wolves were left searching for a new captain, with Max Kilman filling the role for the upcoming season.

Kilman's former partner Nathan Collins has moved on just one year after joining Wolves. The Irishman has joined Premier League rivals Brentford in a deal worth £23m.

Raul Jimenez has also made a Premier League switch as the Mexican heads to Fulham, while returning loanees Conor Coady and Ryan Giles have made moves to Leicester City and Luton Town respectively.

Cult heroes Joao Moutinho,, Diego Costa and Adama Traore are all free agents after their Wolves contracts expired at the end of June. 

Chiquinho and Ki-Jana Hoever have joined Alex Neil's Stoke City side on loan, while Louie Moulden has made a loan switch to National League side Rochdale. Hayao Kawabe and Matija Sarkic have departed the club for minimal fees. 

  • Incomings

It can be easy to forget that Wolves have actually made four signings this summer, although two of those players were on loan at the club last season. 

Matheus Cunha's £44m obligation to buy was triggered after just three games, while Boubacar Traore's £9.5m switch from Metz was announced on February 1st.

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Matt Doherty has re-joined the club three seasons after his departure to Tottenham Hotspur. The Ireland international joined on a free transfer after a six-month stint at Atletico Madrid

Goalkeeper Tom King has also joined after his release from Northampton Town in the summer. 

Manager Lopetegui was adamant on having his squad settled by July 1st, but his demands have not been met by the Wolves board. Although arguably an unrealistic expectation, the Spaniard is still calling for fresh faces five weeks after his initial deadline. 

  • Lopetegui's Future

If you want to sum up the sheer quality of the modern day Premier League, you need to look no further than Wolves to understand the appeal of the league.

Former Real Madrid and Spain boss Lopetegui joined Wolves in November 2022, with the club sitting 20th in the league and four points adrift of safety. Despite picking up 31 points in his 23 games in charge, there is no guarantee that he will be in charge come the end of the season.

Lopetegui's tense relationship with the Wolves board has been well documented, with The Telegraph reporting in May that talks had taken place surrounding the manager's future at Molineux. 

It is fair to say that Wolves have not played expansive football under their Spanish manager, but did find the ability to grind out important results, something the Wanderers faithful had not seen since their initial promotion to the top flight.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the club, Wolves seem to have settled on a 4-2-3-1 system that has treated them well in pre-season. 

Results were steady but failed to set the world alight, with a 1-0 over FC Porto backed up with a 1-1 draw in Dublin with Scottish giants Celtic.

A double header at Molineux saw Luton leave with a goalless draw, before French side Stade Rennais were beaten 3-1 thanks to goals from Rayan Ait Nouri, Joao Gomes and Hee-Chan Hwang

Lopetegui has been consistent with his selection in Wolves' most recent pre-season outings. A rotated side was deployed against newly promoted Luton last week, in which fringe players Fabio Silva and Doherty impressed.

Matheus Nunes has continued to play on the right hand side of midfield while youngster Joe Hodge has been given numerous chances to impress. 

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Strongest XI - Sa; Semedo, Dawson, Kilman, Ait Nouri; Lemina, Gomes; Nunes, Sarabia, Neto; Cunha.

  • Three Talking Points

Profit and Sustainability

Summed up with a recent letter to the fans from chairman Jeff Shi, Wolves are heavily focused on passing the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability tests in the summer.

As a result, fans have been told to expect a reduced expenditure on new arrivals, with Wolves instead looking at cheaper incoming deals.

Will Lopetegui stay?

As previously mentioned, there are question marks over Lopetegui's future in the West Midlands. Wolves sacked a manager in the middle of a Premier League season for only the second time in October, with Lage following in the footsteps of Mick McCarthy.

Offensive issues

Wolves have scored 105 goals in their last three Premier League seasons combined, averaging 0.92 goals per 90. To put those numbers into perspective, current champions Manchester City scored 94 goals in the 2022/23 campaign alone.