Vítor Pereira’s side may at best stand still but hopes are high some of their youthful talent could change the picture
Guardian writers’ predicted position: 16th (NB: this is not necessarily Ben Fisher’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 16th
Wolves surely crave a campaign where relegation is off the menu. After a nightmarish start to last season, they turned to Vítor Pereira to pick up the pieces and the Portuguese reversed the direction of travel, in effect ensuring survival by mid-March. Wolves proved they could win without Matheus Cunha when the Brazilian missed four games through suspension in the spring and have retained André and João Gomes, a menacing pair of midfielders, but there will be pressure on Jørgen Strand Larsen to repeat an impressive first season in which he contributed 14 goals.
The squad appears undercooked after another round of headline departures, with Cunha and Rayan Aït-Nouri who, combined, contributed to 59% of their 54 goals last season, departing for Manchester; Aït-Nouri played more minutes than any other Wolves player and of the five who played the most, three have left: Aït-Nouri, Cunha and Nélson Semedo. Fringe players have departed but Pereira wants a right-wing back to replace Semedo, the club captain who turned down a new contract in favour of a move to Fenerbahce, plus a striker and a midfielder. Wolves need the powerful Colombia winger Jhon Arias, a standout performer for Fluminense at the Club World Cup, to have an immediate impact.
