One Wolves player has been called out for his poor performances over pre-season.
It’s not been a particularly thrilling pre-season for Wolves, who have one game remaining before the Premier League kicks off at Molineux.
The Old Gold will play Manchester City on the opening day, giving Vitor Pereira a strict deadline to get his Wolves squad up to speed.
Most recently, Wolves lost to Girona in their penultimate friendly of the summer, a match that saw one surprising player collect strong criticism.
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Emmanuel Agbadou told to improve pre-season performances
The verdict on Emmanuel Agbadou’s performance against Girona was surprising due to how contrasting it was to the Ivorian’s standards last season.
Agbadou’s start to Wolves was appreciated by some of the Premier League’s best, as the defender proved very quickly that he was the perfect man for Pereira’s defence.
Pre-season, however, has been a different story for the January signing, who, against Girona, was strong in spells but equally very shaky.
In the Express and Star’s post-match reflection, journalist Nathan Judah admitted he’s been ‘surprised’ by how poor Agbadou has been in pre-season.
“Throughout this pre-season, I’ve been very surprised by Agbadou and his performances,” the Wolves expert said before elaborating on his admission.
“He looks very casual on the ball, not himself, giving the ball away, which led to a goal today. It’s just not like him, I think, because he set himself such a high standard last season coming into this team, and you look at a couple of the players lost and the leaders in this team.”
The feedback won’t come as a surprise to everyone, as Wolves fans have questioned Agbadou’s passing before, with it being identified as a weakness.
Judah went on to prompt the Ivory Coast international to raise the bar, as Pereira needs his leaders to step up after the squad lost some of its key members.
“He was one of those players who was in the mix for captaincy, at least amongst fans anyway; he just needs to be on it.
“I think Vitor Pereira will be frustrated at the way that he’s played so far this pre-season, he’ll need to buck his ideas up going into Celta Vigo next week.”
Wolves need Agbadou at his best this season
As Judah mentioned, Agbadou is a candidate for captaincy in the view of Wolves fans.
The winter signing has barely put a foot wrong in a Wolves shirt since arriving, which makes his pre-season dip in form all the more confusing.
The timing of Agbadou’s dip in form is concerning with the Premier League opener less than two weeks away, giving the Ivorian one final chance to turn things around in Saturday’s friendly against Celta Vigo.
Without Agbadou performing, Wolves’ chances of keeping the opposition out are significantly lower, reinforcing the urgency of the matter.