Fosun have bigger Wolves problem than finances and Gary O’Neil – these damning figures prove it

Everywhere you look at Wolves the figures make for grim reading, whether that’s the Premier League table or their finances.

Wolves have endured an extremely difficult start to the season, totalling just six points from a possible 33 available.

Gary O’Neil was offered some respite before the international break as his side picked up their first win of the campaign, a 2-0 victory over Southampton.

While Wolves fans are still calling for O’Neil to be sacked as they continue to feel left unconvinced by his methods, one grim statistic perhaps suggests Fosun has a bigger problem on his hands.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
19	WolvesWolves	11	1	3	7	16	27	-11	6

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Wolves have given zero minutes to club-trained academy players in 2024/25

Beyond O’Neil’s future at Molineux, fans have been unconvinced by the state of the club’s finances, as they continue to operate with a sell-to-buy model.

O’Neil himself even admitted that Wolves would have a limited budget in coming windows, meaning they’d have to sanction one of their most valuable assets to spend.

Indeed, such a strategy has been backed up by the fact Wolves are only targeting a centre-back in the transfer window, despite them needing much more than just a decent defender.

Sadly, given they’re currently battling relegation in the Premier League, this isn’t the only problem plaguing the club.

As per The Athletic, it’s been revealed that Wolves are one of four clubs in the top flight to give zero minutes to academy-trained players in 2024/25, including Brentford, Fulham and West Ham.

Manchester United are unsurprisingly at the top, giving 22.1% of their minutes this season to club-trained players, followed by Liverpool, Brighton and Arsenal.

It means that O’Neil has been unwilling or unable to give minutes to talented youngsters from his academy, and this would resolve a lot of his problems.

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Fosun needs to invest in Wolves academy setup

The power of having an elite academy to pick talent from has become more and more prevalent in the top-flight.

There are numerous examples of clubs giving their homegrown stars a chance to shine such as 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri at Arsenal and fellow youngster Rico Lewis at Manchester City.

Those two players are in their teens yet they’re heavily involved in a Premier League title race, proving that if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.

In the case of Wolves, there haven’t been enough players to come through the academy deemed of high enough quality to play first-team football.

It was demonstrated last term when O’Neil had to call on the likes of Nathan Fraser, Tawanda Chirewa and Leon Chiwome when his side were struggling with injuries; the trio mostly found it difficult and perhaps weren’t ready for top-flight action.

Currently, the player most likely to earn minutes from the academy is centre-back Alfie Pond, who is highly rated at Molineux but would only get his chance if the situation was desperate.

For Wolves to enjoy a sustainable future, Fosun has to make investing in the academy his top priority, as not only would it increase the level of talent they’re able to produce but they could also sell their homegrown stars for big profit and alleviate the stress of PSR.