Wolves ownership are holding meetings with Vitor Pereira this week to discuss their plans for the January window.
While the Wolves players are away representing their country, Fosun and Vitor Pereira are set to work on finding them new teammates, and in some cases, plotting their replacement.
These meetings could have a monumental impact on how the second half of the season plays out.
Last year, the additions of Marshall Munetsi and Emmanuel Agbadou were huge for the side and helped Wolves turn their form around.
But what exactly will the plan be for this coming January? Here are some suggestions for Jeff Shi and co.
It’s time to part ways with Hwang Hee-chan
Hwang Hee-chan has been a loyal servant to Wolves and a great presence in the dressing room, but he was meant to leave in the summer. Wolves only held off due to the lingering uncertainty around their strikers.
Now, with Jorgen Strand Larsen and Tolu Arokodare up top, Hwang can be sold. A permanent deal would be best, to facilitate this next need.
Wolves need a winger
Pereira’s decision to switch to a back four has come good, and you would imagine he continues with it. That means different profiles are now needed.
No more wing-backs means width needs to come from the forward line, and the squad doesn’t have enough wide talent. Wolves are monitoring Real Betis winger Pablo Garcia, though he is more of a player for the future than a ready-made solution.
Wolves can use the money from the Hwang sale, and a bit extra from the summer’s profits, to sign a winger who’s ready to come in and provide the creativity that has been sorely lacking all season.
Correct deadline day failure
When Wolves fans cast their minds back to deadline day, it’s not the official announcement of Tolu Arokodare’s arrival — which was already common knowledge — that springs to mind.
It’s the waiting, refreshing, and praying for a midfield signing to be announced. That was the buzz all week, the last bit of business. But it never happened.
The midfield is probably Wolves’ strongest area, but any sort of absence from Joao Gomes or Andre could be catastrophic. Pereira had been planning for another midfielder to join in August, so that will likely be the first order of business he brings up when they sit down to discuss strategy.
Make a decision on Matt Doherty and Ki-Jana Hoever
Both Ki-Jana Hoever and Matt Doherty are entering the final months of their Wolves contracts. A decision needs to be made before they are able to sign a pre-contract agreement and leave on a free.
New contracts feel like the right move. Doherty hasn’t regressed, still a reliable, experienced option for Pereira. In the case of Hoever, it would be poor from the club to allow a 23-year-old to leave without extracting a fee.
It’s going to be a busy week at Molineux as they iron out the finer details, but these are the issues that look most pressing from the outside.
This window is make-or-break for Wolves.