The 2023/24 season is coming to a close, and it is time to reflect on what has been a surprising campaign at Wolves.
The club have just one game remaining now against Liverpool, and the hope is that Wanderers can finish in the right way. It will be a difficult game, and the Reds are seeking to send Jurgen Klopp off with one last victory.
But Wolves are looking to finish on 49 points, which would be a very respectable final tally, after the chaos of last summer.
Gary O’Neil has done a great job all things considered, and one of the best things he’s done is improve most of the players in his squad.
One player who has improved a great deal is Nelson Semedo, who was voted the Players’ Player of the Season on Saturday – and Lee Naylor spoke about him just after he received his award…
Lee Naylor hails Nelson Semedo for ‘massive improvement’ after winning Players’ Player of the Season at Wolves
O’Neil managed to get a tune out of the players very quickly this season.
Results were not so good in the opening few weeks of the campaign. But there were positive signs from the off, with the very first performance against Manchester United particularly impressive.
It was clear that the players had bought into O’Neil, after the departure of Julen Lopetegui.
Without doubt, most of the Wolves players have made big strides in their development under him, and Nelson Semedo has enjoyed a very good campaign overall.
Speaking on Matchday Live Extra, former Old Gold full-back Lee Naylor said of the Portugal international: “I think Semedo, his peers have recognised what he’s done. There’s massive improvement in his game.”
Semedo has been heavily utilised by O’Neil in 2023/24.
The 30-year-old has made 40 appearances across all competitions, and has played a whopping 3455 minutes.
Semedo now looks like the player Wolves thought they’d signed
- READ MORE: Nelson Semedo is doing something at Wolves that places him above Cole Palmer and Jeremy Doku
Semedo was fairly poor in his first season at Wolves.
He improved in his second season but still showed some inconsistency, and in his third term fans were starting to see genuine improvement.
But under O’Neil, he has gone to a new level, and he finally does look like the top player Wolves thought they had landed from Barcelona for around £29 million.
Granted, Semedo’s end product still leaves much to be desired. His goal and assists numbers ought to be higher for the positions he takes up.
But undoubtedly, the £80,000-a-week star is much more accomplished these days and his actual defending has definitely improved a lot. It is nice to see someone like him being acknowledged by his teammates.