It is that time of the year when fans and pundits are making their predictions for the new Premier League season – and one man at Sky Sports actually has some fears about Wolves in 2024/25.
It has been a productive past month or so for Wanderers, who had trips to Marbella and Miami for pre-season.
Gary O’Neil oversaw wins against Como 1907, Bristol City, West Ham United and RB Leipzig. But there were defeats against Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano.
O’Neil described the performance against Vallecano as his ‘least favourite’ of pre-season, and it was a bit of a reality check heading into the new Premier League season.
But the general consensus is that Wolves have had a solid pre-season, and the open is that European football could be attainable.
But for Stephen Warnock, Wolves could actually be a little bit of trouble.
Stephen Warnock explains why Wolves could be part of a relegation battle in 2024/25
Last term, Wolves were expected to be fighting relegation.
O’Neil came in just days before the 2023/24 season started, replacing Julen Lopetegui who had walked out over concerns about the squad and frustrations about the club’s financial position.
The objective was to keep Wolves in the league, and he did that very easily.
Halfway through the season, Wanderers were in such a good position that there were some left hoping that European football could be a possibility.
Eventually, Wolves’ small squad being impacted by injuries meant that momentum was halted, and they finished 14th.
Fans are expecting a higher finish this time around, and supposedly the objective will be to push for Europe. But Warnock doesn’t see it.
After seeing Sue Smith opt for Ipswich Town, Leicester City and Southampton to go down, he said on Sky Sports: “I’ve gone for the same. My only difference was, I asked for a little bit of a different graphic on this but they couldn’t do it.
“I’d have gone Southampton or Wolves. I just think Gary O’Neil last season struggled with a squad. He’s had a few taken away from him again. Not really invested too well in what they’ve done. If any team out of the three coming up was to stay up, I think it would be Southampton to survive.”
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Warnock will probably get pelters from Wolves fans for his prediction, and it is certainly a bold one.
Wolves do need to be careful. Neto has now been sold which is a big loss as he is a game-changer.
It will be important for that £54 million received from Chelsea to be reinvested to strengthen the squad further.
Ideally, O’Neil will sign a new centre-back and preferably one with some Premier League experience, or someone with experience of playing in a top-five league in Europe.
But certainly, it would be a real shock if Wolves did get dragged into a relegation battle this season, given all the positive signs from last term and the productive summer O’Neil has had with the players.
It is unfair of Warnock to simply say that O’Neil struggled last season, when he had really bad injury luck and also some horrendous VAR decisions going against him which ultimately cost the team several points and places in the table.