Gary O’Neil has a rarely-seen secret weapon at Wolves who can actually terrorise Fulham

Wolves resume action in the Premier League this weekend with a trip to high flyers Fulham.

Under-pressure Gary O’Neil saved his job before the international break after Wolves were 2-0 victors over Southampton, and they’ll be looking to build on that result on Saturday.

O’Neil could be without Santiago Bueno for the clash against Fulham after he suffered a groin injury on international duty with Uruguay.

Bueno has been a crucial figure in the absence of Yerson Mosquera and the 26-year-old would be a big miss in defence, especially given how depleted they are.

Luckily, O’Neil could be boosted by the return of Hwang Hee-chan, who can be key for Wolves in the remainder of the season along with someone who arrived in the summer.

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Why Carlos Forbs could play a crucial role vs Fulham

Supporters were excited when Wolves pulled off the capture of Carlos Forbs on loan from Ajax in the summer, with the Wanderers holding an option to buy in 2025.

Forbs has seen his game time limited since moving to Molineux, only featuring for 178 minutes in the Premier League, as O’Neil has preferred Pablo Sarabia in recent weeks.

The 20-year-old has looked exciting in most of his appearances and is this backed up by the fact Forbs is statistically the fastest forward in the Premier League in 2024/25, clocking a speed of 36.57km/h.

Forbs – who most recently scored for Portugal’s under-21 side – can play a vital role against Fulham with his frightening pace and power on the counterattack.

That is how O’Neil’s men could and should approach the game plan, allowing the hosts to have most of the possession but springing on the counter when given a chance.

The 2004-born winger is the complete opposite of Sarabia, as while he’s reliant on pace and skill to beat his man, the Spaniard is extremely creative and can unlock defences with his passing.

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Pablo Sarabia vs Carlos Forbs

O’Neil will find it impossible to drop Sarabia after he scored the winner last time out but with Hwang returning, Rodrigo Gomes pushing for a start and how Forbs ranks against the Spaniard, the Wolves boss has been handed somewhat of a dilemma.

As highlighted by FBref, Forbs has bettered Sarabia across multiple creative and attacking metrics across the past year.

Admittedly, the fleet-footed Portuguese winger was playing in the Eredivisie when most of that data was recorded however, it highlights to O’Neil what he can bring to the party.

From the above table, Sarabia only beats Forbs for progressive passes per 90 – a creative metric that highlights his strength – while his fellow winger is much more of a goal threat.

O’Neil will perhaps choose to start his Spanish playmaker once more but in Forbs, he knows he has a secret weapon who could terrorise Fulham.