Gary O’Neil could be close to unearthing an impressive combination at Wolves next season involving Daniel Podence.
The 2024 summer transfer window has been full of surprises for Wolves, most notably through the efficient business completed by Gary O’Neil and Matt Hobbs.
Tommy Doyle, Pedro Lima, Rodrigo Gomes and Jorgen Strand Larsen were added to the squad to bolster the manager’s options, with another shock now coming in a different transfer capacity.
After returning to Wolves for pre-season, O’Neil has admitted that he’d like to see Daniel Podence remain at Molineux next term, following his 2023/24 loan spell at Olympiacos.
Gary O’Neil could make Wolves even more dangerous by keeping Daniel Podence
Not many would have expected O’Neil to share his desire to keep Podence, who joined Olympiacos on loan last summer.
The Portuguese winger didn’t look to be a part of the manager’s plans, leading to his exit to join his former side for the 2023/24 campaign.
Whilst on loan, the Wolves forward dazzled in Greece, contributing to 28 goals in all competitions, as well as winning the Europa Conference League.
Olympiacos want to sign Podence permanently however, plans could change as O’Neil is now open to keeping the winger around following his “superb” start to pre-season – as he was lauded by journalist Nathan Judah.
By keeping Podence, not only could the manager restore a player of great quality to the front line, but could also take a step forward in unearthing a strong partnership between the Portuguese ace and one new signing.
Imagine Podence and Jorgen Strand Larsen
One element of Podence’s game that stood out at Olympiacos last season was his ability to act as the playmaker, securing 13 assists in 2023/24 and combining well with target man Ayoub El Kaabi.
The Wolves outsider averaged 1.8 key passes per game in the Stoixman Super League, via Sofascore, an average that would have put him behind only Pedro Neto back at Molineux in 2023/24.
Given how well Podence combined with the likes of El Kaabi and Olympiacos’ other threats, it would be fascinating to see how the Portuguese star could gel with Wolves’ new arrival Strand Larsen.
The 24-year-old is the target man that O’Neil has craved at the Midlands club, with him netting 13 goals in La Liga last term for Celta Vigo, showing strength in the box which could be targeted by an eager creator such as Podence.
Podence shone in the Europa Conference League last term, excelling in a statistic that could be particularly attractive to Strand Larsen, as the winger averaged a monstrous 0.90 goal-creating actions per 90 in the tournament, via FBref.
O’Neil’s eyes should light up at the idea of fusing the danger of Podence and Strand Larsen together next season, in what could be a fascinating revelation for those at Molineux to behold.