Wolverhampton Wanderers welcomed Ligue 1 side RC Lens to Walsall’s Pallet‑Track Bescot Stadium in their third pre-season friendly. The French visitors claimed a 3-1 victory, with Wesley Saïd breaking the deadlock and Deiver Machado scoring twice in quick succession.
Gonçalo Guedes pulled one back for Wolves, but it proved not to be enough to get Wolves in a winning mood. The game showed us some critical areas Wolves must address ahead of the 2025–26 Premier League campaign. Here are four key takeaways from the match:
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Wolves lack keeping momentum
Wolves began the match with tempo and pressing intensity, particularly down the flanks. Full‑backs and wide midfielders combined well early, with Ki‑Jana Hoever and Jean‑Ricner Bellegarde posing threats.
A few half‑chances emerged due to link‑ups between Jørgen Strand Larsen and Fer López, but no clear opportunities for either team meant that the teams went into the break 0-0.
The second half exposed cracks. Wolves’ effectiveness collapsed post‑60 minutes, as defensive structure broke down and control waned. Wolves went really flat with no attacking threats, apart from the one goal from Gonçalo Guedes, but also lost the creative flair that was there in the first half.
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Lens made Wolves work and exploited the non-existent squad depth
Lens pressed Wolves straight from the off and although Wolves did seem the better team for the first 20-30 minutes, Lens managed to force Wolves into making some errors. The French side were quick in transition, but also managed to keep their shape in and out of possession.
This probably came a reality check Wolves. The Premier League is arguably one of the fastest leagues in the world and Lens gave Wolves a real test in physical and tactical aspects which may be mirrored against the likes of Brighton and Aston Villa.
The game also highlighted that Wolves’ squad depth is really poor. So far to date 14 players have left Wolves with only two summer signing being made so far, Fer Lopez and Jhon Arias.
The game highlighted that not only are Wolves clearly lacking in being able to bring players off the bench and impact the game, but realistically Wolves are only one Jose Sa injury away from either Daniel Bentley or Sam Johnstone being the next keeper of choice with the latter potentially being moved on and leaving the club and Bentley letting three past him in the game.
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João Gomes could be engine in the middle that Wolves need next season
One positive from the game was Joao Gomes’ performance against the French side. The Brazilian worked hard to break up any attack threat that they tried and managed to drive forward with the ball when given the opportunity.
His energy and his aggression did not go unnoticed; he also seemed to get into the heads of the opposition in order to get the opposition booked and played for set pieces.
How good he actually is was highlighted when he was subbed off and there was a significant decline in control, tempo and aggression. Further showing that Gomes is the energetic engine in the Wolves squad offering stability and drive.
If he can maintain is consistency and avoid injury, Gomes could take on the role of being Wolves’ key player this season.
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Some signs of promise, but some serious defensive concerns
Some players showed some sign of promise for example, Fer Lopez showed some great link up play with Jorgen Strand Larsen creating some attacking threats going forward. He managed to showcase his technical flair and his ability to take on players. Bellegarde also had some enjoyment with his crossing in the first half, unfortunately nothing came on the end of that.
However, the defence had its own worries. Hugo Bueno was playing left-back and was beaten for the corner that led to Lens’ first goal of the match from Saïd. Lens then exploited Wolves’ defensive issues as they began to attack more and more.
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Conclusion
Wolves clearly cannot afford to switch off their intensity and sharpness. The squad depth was also clearly problematic and could be a real issue should they progress into the Premier League season with the squad they have now.
The start of the game showed some promises, pressing high, using the wide areas, link up play and build up. That’s probably the way in which Vitor Pereira would want to play, but that faded as Lens grew into the game. If Wolves could keep up the same intensity and sharpness for the whole 90, they have a decent squad going forward, however that also comes back to squad depth and Wolves don’t have the players to keep that up for a whole 90 minutes.
However, Lens made it clear that if they can punish and attack on mistakes, then Premier League clubs will punish.
