Before the international break, Ladislav Krejci and Santiago Bueno were Wolves’ most solid defensive pairing.
When the season started, Ladislav Krejci was a relative unknown, just signed from Girona. Santiago Bueno was fourth or fifth choice.
But Wolves‘ defence was woeful in the opening weeks, and Emmanuel Agbadou and Toti Gomes looked like different players from last season.
Vitor Pereira decided to drop both, installing Krejci and Bueno in their places to great effect.
Santiago Bueno on starting alongside Ladislav Krejci
Bueno has slotted into the Wolves defence and has hardly put a foot wrong, helping Wolves limit opposition to just two goals in three games. He even grabbed the opener away to Spurs.
He’s enjoying his increased role and justifying Pereira’s decision.
From the Wolves website, Bueno remarks: “We feel very, very good playing together. I went through Girona, then I came here, then he went to Girona, but we’d never played together.
“We didn’t actually know each other until he came here, but I think we had a bit of a connection, and we understand each other on the pitch, as well as the rest of the centre-backs. I think the last few games have been really good, showing this connection that we have together.”
With Krejci looking irreplaceable already, Bueno is making a case to start alongside him. The connection is real, but will it be enough to fend off competition waiting in the wings.
Toti Gomes and Emmanuel Agbadou on the bench
At the beginning of the season, Toti Gomes was handed the armband. He had the left centre-back position locked down and was set to be a key player for Wolves. With Krejci’s arrival, Toti has seen less minutes than he would have expected.
But that is largely down to his own poor form, and the same can be said about Emmanuel Agbadou,
- READ MORE: Vitor Pereira might regret decision as Wolves star makes worst Premier League XI alongside Jose Sa
Agbadou’s arrival in January changed the complexion of Wolves’ season. This season, though, he has been an error waiting to happen.
Over the international break, he might have rediscovered his form with an exceptional 45 minutes against Seychelles, scoring and assisting.
Both Toti and Agbadou will be anxious to return to the starting lineup, and the competition at centre-back is sure to intensify. That’s exactly what Pereira wants.