Since returning to the Premier League in the 2018/19 season, Wolverhampton Wanderers have established themselves in the top flight.
Only once had they finished in the bottom half of the table until last season when their five-year run in the Premier League was threatened.
Until Julen Lopetegui’s arrival, Wolves were embroiled in a relegation battle, but the Spanish tactician spared their blushes with a 13th-place finish.
Returning to the top half of the table would be the primary objective, but with Lopetegui gone, the West Midlands club could be in for another relegation scrap.
Here is our Wolves season preview for 2023/24. You can also check out our detailed Premier League season previews for all 20 teams.
Wolves Fixtures
Wolves will trade tackles with Manchester United at Old Trafford in their 2023/24 Premier League curtain raiser on August 14.
They then host Brighton & Hove Albion at Molineux Stadium the following weekend before rounding off August with a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton.
September features daunting fixtures against Liverpool (H) and Manchester City (H) before their first Black Country derby of the season at home to Aston Villa on October 7.
Arsenal (A) and Chelsea (H) are amongst a tricky December fixture list before the festive period. Wolves then take on Brentford on Boxing Day before closing out the year at home to Everton.
The Midlands club will start 2024 with a reverse clash against Brighton before travelling to Birmingham to take on Villa on March 30.
They then face a challenging end to the season with a home game against Arsenal on April 20, and away trips to Manchester City on May 4 and Liverpool in their final fixture on May 19.
Manager
Lopetegui arrived at Molineux when Wolves were surefire candidates for relegation. They were at the rock bottom of the Premier League standings on Christmas Day and headed for doom.
However, the Spaniard quickly proved his mettle by turning their fortunes around. They survived relegation with seven points separating them from the drop zone, becoming the first club to do so since 2015.
Lopetegui’s arrival inspired a revival that eventually earned Wolves a sixth consecutive campaign in the Premier League.
However, the club’s precarious financial situation has forced the Spanish manager to reconsider his position in the dugout, and both parties have decided to cut ties just days before the start of the season.
While Lopetegui’s departure could have serious ramifications for Wolves this year, the West Midlands club seemingly have it all planned out, with former Bournemouth miracle worker Gary O’Neil set to replace the former Sevilla boss.
O’Neil proved his credentials last season by keeping the Cherries in the Premier League with a relatively inexperienced squad at his disposal.
With only a handful of new faces arriving at Molineux thus far, Wolves desperately need someone with O’Neil’s CV to salvage what has all the signs of a campaign headed for doom again.
Transfer Business
Any Wolves fans hoping for a large influx of quality players after selling Ruben Neves to the Saudi Pro League will be disappointed by the club’s transfer activity to date.
Neves joined Al-Hilal in a £47 million move – a record sale for the club, exceeding the £45m they pocketed from Diogo Jota’s move to Liverpool three years ago.
However, the only new faces at the Molineux thus far are Matt Doherty, Boubacar Traore, and Tom King, who joined on a free transfer from English third-tier club Northampton Town.
Neves is not the only player Wolves have sold this summer. Nathan Collins joined Brentford in a £23m deal, while Conor Coady secured a move to Leicester City worth £7.5m.
Raul Jimenez, Diego Costa, Joao Moutinho, and Adama Traore are amongst others to have departed, with Wolves recouping around £90m in player sales this summer.
However, despite their selling spree, Wolves are yet to tear open their purse to make quality additions to the team.
Perhaps they are reaping the fruit of their appalling decision-making on the market after forking out £44m to sign Matheus Cunha from Atletico Madrid permanently.
The Brazilian only scored twice in 17 Premier League games last term, but it wasn’t entirely surprising considering he hadn’t opened his goalscoring account before joining Wolves on loan halfway through the season.
Wolves still have a talented squad despite their summer exodus. But they could do with more creativity in the team, especially after Neves’ departure.
Starting XI
With no significant incoming transfer activity to report, Wolves’ starting line up shouldn’t see too many personnel changes.
Despite their occasional shambolic defending, Jose Sa managed 11 clean sheets last season and should remain the first-choice goalkeeper.
Collins is likely to be the only change to the defence. Craig Dawson should partner Max Kilman at centre-back with Hugo Bueno and Nelson Semedo as the starting full-backs.
Neves’ departure opens the door for January signing Joao Gomes to earn a spot in the first team alongside Mario Lemina and Matheus Nunes in the middle of the park.
Wolves have several options across the front line, but we expect Cunha to lead the attack while Pedro Neto and Pablo Sarabia provide support from the flanks.
Here is our prediction for Everton’s strongest starting XI next season:
4-3-3: Sa; Bueno, Kilman, Dawson, Semedo; Gomes, Lemina, Nunes; Neto, Cunha, Sarabia.
Star Player
Neves has been a standout performer for Wolves since joining in 2017.
He wasn’t an elite goalscorer or even the most creative midfielder, but his technical know-how made him a special player.
His departure will leave a mark, but it also opens the door for a new hero to emerge.
Although it’s hard to determine which player would step up to the task, Cunha should be looking to prove his worth this season.
Big things were expected from the Brazilian when he joined on an initial loan deal in January. However, after two goals in 17 league games, it was clear he wasn’t cut out for Premier League football.
Yet Wolves forked out the big bucks to make his deal permanent. Their decision raised a few eyebrows, but Cunha will be looking to expel lingering doubts about his goalscoring ability this year.
Prediction
Although the three newly-promoted teams are expected to struggle this season, things may not be that straightforward.
While Luton Town and Sheffield United could be in line for a swift return to the Championship, Burnley have recruited well this summer.
This opens up the prospect that an established Premier League club could be in danger of slipping into the bottom three.
While it is too early to call whether Wolves will fall into this category, their lack of transfer activity, coupled with Lopetegui’s untimely departure, does little to inspire confidence.
They are in danger of undoing all their hard work in the top flight and will do well to avoid another relegation scrap this year.
Prediction: 15th
Also Read: Detailed Premier League season previews for all 20 teams.
