Wolves have a frantic end to the January transfer window – but Vitor Pereira has been told he may have made an oversight.
Wanderers brought in three new players in the mid-season window.
Emmanuel Agbadou was the first to arrive from Reims.
Then, there was inactivity for a few weeks, before Wolves sprung into action on deadline day.
Wolves landed Nasser Djiga and Marshall Munetsi from Red Star Belgarde and Reims respectively.
Agbadou has been the star signing, already winning Player of the Month at Wolves. The Ivorian genuinely looks like one of the club’s best signings in years.
Munetsi has also made an impact and scored his first goal for the club against Everton.
Pereira praised both Munetsi and Agbadou after the draw with Everton, believing they are both going to cause teams problems from set-pieces.
But while most saw it as a positive window, Andy Thompson and Lee Naylor have questioned Vitor Pereira.
Andy Thompson and Lee Naylor feel Wolves should have signed a forward in January
Wolves always wanted to hand Pereira two new defensive recruits in January following the injury to Yerson Mosquera.
Then, there was the Mario Lemina situation – and Pereira needed to replace him.
Wolves were also linked with signing a new forward in January, but ultimately nothing materialised.
This now feels like an oversight by Pereira according to Andy Thompson and Lee Naylor, who spoke after Wolves’ draw with Everton after seeing Wanderers struggle in the final third without Cunha.
Naylor said: “It’s always difficult January. I’m just glad we kept Cunha. But then, could we have added that one? That one that could have helped us along the way. Could have helped the team, could have helped Cunha, could have helped Strand Larsen.”
Thompson then joked: “There could have been a cheeky bid to Fulham for Traore, bring him back!
Naylor: “Imagine that!”
Thompson said: “With the position we were in in January, and we were lower down, you’re just trying to get something that’s different to what you’ve got already. I know Adama Traore came here and played really well. That’s the kind of player we want. That’s going to cause teams problems.
“I just think it would have been one of the things we should have looked for. Somebody who could have just opened up defences. With that movement and running ability with the ball. Because the only player we’ve got is Cunha.”
Time will tell if Wolves made a mistake
The lack of threat against Everton without Cunha was a little concerning.
Wolves had a lot of the ball, completing 527 passes – their most in any game in 2024/25. But their expected goals (xG) figure was only 0.77 (via The Athletic).
It is perhaps easy to say that Wolves should have signed a forward in January following stats like this. Of course, Traore would never have come back last month given his stature at Fulham right now, but perhaps there was scope for Wolves to do something.
But Wolves do have some genuinely good options in reserve at the moment.
The likes of Goncalo Guedes and Hwang Hee-chan are mobile and can carry the ball, as can people like Rayan Ait-Nouri and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
In the next two games without Cunha, it might be wise for Pereira to get one of these players close to Strand Larsen.