Wolves enter their clash against Chelsea on Monday night in a perilous position at the bottom of the Premier League table.
Wolves are in 17th place, only outside the relegation zone and above Ipswich Town on goals scored this term as both sides share the same -17 goal difference.
Preparations have hardly gone swimmingly for Vitor Pereira, who has had to deal with the actions of Mario Lemina and some other issues.
Lemina refused to play for Wolves before their 3-0 defeat against Newcastle. Lemina has since apologised to Pereira but the midfielder has already burnt bridges with the fans.
The 31-year-old’s immediate future isn’t his only concern, as Matheus Cunha could miss the Chelsea clash through illness, and he isn’t the only star player who is a doubt.
Cole Palmer could miss the Wolves clash through injury
Cunha’s importance to Wolves needs no introduction, with the Brazilian scoring 10 and assisting four in the Premier League this term.
The same goes for Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who has emerged as one of the best talents on the planet since joining the Blues in the summer of 2023.
Palmer has continued his incredible form this season, already posting an impressive 14 goals and six assists in the top flight.
The 22-year-old found the net on Wednesday night as Enzo Maresca’s side drew 2-2 with Bournemouth, though he did require treatment during the match after falling awkwardly.
Palmer was able to continue the game but unfortunately for Chelsea, he is now a doubt for Monday’s fixture against Wolves, as revealed by Maresca in Friday’s press conference.
“Cole is a doubt, he was not in the session today,” the Italian said via Football London. “Cole didn’t train today, we don’t know if he will train in the next two days.”
Chelsea’s No.20 has proven to be a nemesis of Wolves in recent years, scoring once and assisting three times in their 6-2 demolition of the Old Gold in August.
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Wolves almost signed Cole Palmer in 2018
While the fans will be hoping Palmer doesn’t feature on Monday in fear of him terrorising their defence once more, they won’t be pleased to know that Wolves almost signed Palmer in 2018.
When the attacking midfielder was coming through the academy at Man City as a 16-year-old, Wolves were one of the many clubs keen on signing him.
The prospect of him leaving emerged because Palmer didn’t mature between the ages of 13 to 15 and struggled to compete physically in some matches, according to Scott Sellars, the former head of under-18s at City.
“The smaller ones find it tough from around the ages of 13 to 15,” said Sellars. “That’s when a lot of kids mature and some don’t and Cole didn’t start to mature at all at that age.
“He would find it difficult in some games and be successful in others. The consistency is harder to find at that age for smaller players. “He always had an inner determination, I always felt that about Cole.
“He always felt he had something to prove and he would do that. Off the pitch he was one of the lads, a typical cheeky Manchester boy but I did see him have that edge on the pitch.”
Now he’s developed into an outrageously good footballer and arguably one of the best on the planet, Wolves will regret not acting on their interest seven years ago.