Gary O’Neil has suggested that one Wolves fringe player has impressed him so much in pre-season so far that he could be in contention to play in the first Premier League game against Arsenal.
The players have enjoyed a very productive past few weeks.
Wolves have won three games so far this summer, and the players are getting good minutes into their legs ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Fans are optimistic that O’Neil can build on what he did last term, and preparations have seemingly been spot on so far, with three new faces coming in and everyone looking sharp.
O’Neil has also been buoyed by the fact that the players who were on international duty are now back with the squad.
One player who appears to have really caught O’Neil’s eye is Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, with the manager even suggesting he might start the first Premier League game against Arsenal.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has impressed Gary O’Neil in pre-season so far
Bellegarde joined Wolves a year ago from French club Strasbourg, with the club paying around £12.8 million.
He arrived at the eleventh hour, but was thrown into the starting XI by O’Neil just days later for a game against Liverpool.
Bellegarde enjoyed a terrific debut and had fans really excited about what he could bring to the team. But the Frenchman struggled to replicate that level of performance, and also had some fitness issues.
It was therefore a pretty average first term for Bellegarde, who is arguably a fringe player at present. If everyone was fit, he probably would not start in Wolves’ ‘best’ team at the moment.
However, things are currently looking good for him. He did well against West Ham United at the weekend and he has caught O’Neil’s eye, to the point where the manager is now considering starting him in the first game of the season away at Arsenal.
He said on the E&S podcast: “I did think he did well. We played him in a midfield two initially as well. I thought it was worth a look at him in there, because obviously we play with one a bit lower and one a bit higher. I thought he might be able to do the one a bit higher and he did well.
“Me, as always, there were bits I didn’t like and bits he can improve on. But I thought overall he was very good.
(When asked about Bellegarde kicking on after his frustrations in 2023/24) “That was my chat with him in the summer, how excited I was with the season coming for him.
“When I was sat there in the room with him, I fully believed he could be a regular starter for us this year. He’s come back, his knee has still made him miss certain bits. But it’s getting better and he’ll play a substantial part against Palace. He’ll play from the start actually. And we’ll see how he does. He’s given himself a great chance at the minute to be in the starting XI at Arsenal, so we’ll see how he does.”
Bellegarde can be a top player for Wolves
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Bellegarde’s first season at Wolves probably didn’t really go as well as he would have liked.
He mentioned earlier this summer about how fast the English game is, and it was clear at times that he was still adapting from having played in France.
There is definitely a player there with Bellegarde. We saw flashes of his quality, and his debut against Liverpool was highly impressive.
Now that he has a year’s worth of experience under his belt, there is no reason why he can’t kick on and be a big player for Wolves in 2024/25.
Competition for places is tough. But Bellegarde is a technician and someone who can also provide mobility and physicality.
If he can stay fit and O’Neil can find the right role for him, then we could finally see what Bellegarde is really about in a Wolves shirt.