Will Bruno Lage improve on his 10th place finish from last year or will Wolves' goalscoring problems still haunt them again this year?
What happened last year?
Last year saw Wolves lose long-term manager Nuno Espirito Santo, with the Portuguese manager joining fellow Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur for a short tenure, where he was sacked after only four months in charge. Wolves decided to replace him with Bruno Lage, who had just managed to guide Benfica to the Primera Liga title in the 2020/2021 season.
Lage started his tenure in with three successive losses, but Wolves’ fortunes quickly improved with the team moving to seventh by the end of January and just a point away from fourth place, but the Wanderers only managed two points from their final seven games, meaning the club finished in 10th place with 51 points.
Lage was brought in to bring an attacking style, which was lacking from his predecessor, but ironically his side only managed to score 38 goals in 38 Premier League games whilst conceding 43 goals throughout last season.
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Key signings?
Nathan Collins
Nathan Collins made his Premier League debut for Burnley last season, playing 19 games for the Clarets and scoring two goals from centre-back. This wasn’t enough to stop Burnley from dropping into the Championship, but he certainly impressed Lage and the Wolves hierarchy, with the club signing the 21-year-old for the price of £21 million.
Collins is a strong tacking centre-back and this was shown with the Irish international managing an impressive 79% tackle success, and with Wolves predominantly playing a back three, this will certainly add to their defensive fortitude. However, Collins only managed to complete 70% of his passes last season and this is an area of his game which will need some improvement.
Hee-chan Hwang
After spending last season on loan at Wolverhampton in which he scored five goals and claimed one assist, Wolves decided to sign the South Korean international for the price of £15 million. Hwang made an impressive start to life at Molineux scoring on his debut against Watford and then scoring two goals against Newcastle a couple of weeks later, but the goals started to dry up for the 26-year-old, with only one Premier League goal in 2022. Despite this, Hwang has the versatility to play across all three attacking positions.
And who’s out?
Romain Saiss
Moroccan international Romain Saiss decided to leave Wolves for Turkish side Besiktas. Saiss spent six years at the Wolves, in which he helped the club come up from the Championship and maintain themselves as a Premier League club.
Saiss played 31 Premier League games for Lage last year and picked up two goals from centre-back. The 32-year-old was a versatile player, having the ability to play in midfield and centre-back, and will surely be missed.
Who is their star man?
Joao Moutinho
Despite being 35, Joao Moutinho is still an important cog in the heart of the Wolves midfield. The Portuguese international racked up 35 Premier League appearances last year and played 2,976 minutes.
Moutinho has formed a strong relationship with fellow countryman Ruben Neves, forming a solid base at the heart of the Wolves midfield, and averaged 56 passes per match with a pass completion rate of 87%, including one assist.
The Portuguese midfielder can dictate the game with his accurate passing and, despite his smaller stature, isn’t afraid of tackling and getting his hands dirty.
What can we expect from them in 2022/23?
Wolves have secured themselves as a Premier League club for next season, but the challenge will be whether they can get European football. The club has flirted with continental football in the past and did last year, but a lack of recent investment compared to other clubs means they could struggle on getting a top-half finish. They are currently the best price of 14/5 to get a top-half finish.
As previously mentioned, goals were a real issue for Wolves, only scoring 38 goals in 38 Premier League games and loan signing Hwang doesn’t really address their issue, but the return of Morgan Gibbs-White could help that issue. The 22-year-old had a successful loan at Sheffield United and looked a real threat for the Blades so, hopefully, this will translate to his parent club.
Where do the odds project them to finish?
According to the Premier League winners market, Wolves are 15th with the best odds of 999/1 to win the league.
Any recommended bets?
With Bruno Lage given another year in charge, you would like to believe Wolves can improve on their 10th place finish but with the lack of goals still not probably addressed in the transfer market, it is a concern and because of this, the 4/11 for Wolves to finish in the bottom half just look far too appealing to turn down.
