It has been another rollercoaster year for Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club.
2023 started with real hope. Wolves were struggling in the Premier League, but had recently brought in Julen Lopetegui as their new manager.
There was an opportunity to strengthen the squad in the January transfer window, and Wolves brought in six new faces.
In the end, some of the deals that were done proved to be extremely important, and Wolves went on to preserve their Premier League status for another season.
Gary O’Neil is now at the helm and there have been some very positive signs.
Fans have stuck by the team through thick and thin this year, and here are the three players we at Molineux News think have been the best performers this calendar year…
#3 – Max Kilman
Max Kilman has definitely enjoyed a pretty good calendar year overall for Wolves.
The 26-year-old came under fire at the start of last season as Wolves struggled to keep clean sheets and get points on the board.
He looked a shadow of the player that had been so amazing playing on the right of a back three under Bruno Lage the season before.
But from January onwards, Kilman’s form really picked up. He was a mainstay in the side, and helped Wolves to become much more solid under Lopetegui, especially at home.
This season, Kilman’s form has largely been good, after a few iffy displays right at the start. The star now wears the captain’s armband at Molineux following the departure of Ruben Neves, and he has definitely grown into the role.
Intriguingly, his performances have been a lot better since O’Neil switched the formation, with Kilman now playing on the right again.
Wolves fans will hope he can keep on improving in 2024.
#2 – Craig Dawson
One of the reasons Kilman was able to improve in 2023 was because of this man.
Craig Dawson has been an absolute revelation for Wanderers since he signed for the club for just £3.3 million from West Ham United in January.
Wolves were extremely porous before he came in.
There are still occasions where Wolves look a bit shaky defensively but on the whole, Dawson has really solidified things back there.
Dawson is a no-frills defender, who does the basics extremely well. He wins tackles, headers and is always ready to throw himself in front of shots for the team. And actually, he is a very underrated ball player.
There was a bit of an outcry from West Ham fans when he left the London Stadium, and it only took a few games for Wolves fans to realise why that was.
He’s been unbelievable, and who knows where Wolves would be right now without such an authoritative figure.
#1 – Mario Lemina
Mario Lemina has been a total sensation for Wolves since joining the club from Nice just before Dawson.
There were a few eyebrows raised at the time, because Lemina had had spells with Southampton and Fulham in the Premier League previously and had not really pulled up any trees.
The feeling was that there was a player there, but also that he was a bit immature.
After playing on loan at Galatasaray and then permanently for Nice, Lemina came to Wolves, who were in desperate need of a new midfield general.
Lemina established himself extremely quickly at Molineux, with the £45,000-a-week star’s incredible performance in the 3-0 home win against Liverpool back in February a sign of things to come from the Gabon international.
For a long time at Wolves there had been a lack of intensity and energy in the midfield.
Lemina has come in and brought steel, tenacity and fight. He is an incredible ball-winning warrior, and his style of play just has fans eating out of the palm of his hand.
He just pips Dawson for the prestigious award of best Wolves player of 2023.
Honourable mentions – Hwang Hee-chan, Pedro Neto, Hugo Bueno.