Wolves fans are starting to get very excited for the new season following a positive past few weeks of pre-season for the team.
Gary O’Neil has overseen three games so far – and Wanderers have won every one.
They defeated Como 1907 1-0 in Marbella. Then, they beat Championship side Bristol City 3-0 at Compton Park. And at the weekend, Wolves made their biggest statement so far with a 3-1 win over fellow Premier League side West Ham United.
Rodrigo Gomes stole the headlines against the Hammers with his two goals. But there were some really positive performances from a lot of players.
One man who gave another really good account of himself was Pedro Lima, who supplied a great assist for Rodrigo’s second goal.
One thing is already becoming clear with Lima – he is the player Nelson Semedo has needed for some time at Molineux.
Pedro Lima looks to be the solid competition Nelson Semedo has needed at Wolves
Lima has been one of the standout players for Wolves in pre-season, after joining the club at the start of the month from Sport Recife.
The teenage Brazilian caught the eye from the off in Marbella, and has continued to shine over the last couple of weeks.
Against West Ham, the assist he gave to Rodrigo was fantastic. He exchanged passes with Hwang Hee-chan, drawing in two players before bursting into the space.
He then sent in a perfect ball to the back post for Rodrigo to head home.
It was a great cameo from Lima, who looked to get forward at every opportunity.
Potentially, then, given what he has shown so far, Lima could be serious competition for Nelson Semedo, which is what the Portuguese full-back has needed at Wolves.
He has been the number one choice for a few years now at Molineux and the 2023/24 season was his best season to date.
Semedo has made 145 appearances for Wanderers since his arrival in 2020, which is a very good return.
Arguably though, he’s been able to make so many because he hasn’t had a particularly strong push from anyone his arrival.
Ki-Jana Hoever, who signed at the same time as Semedo, didn’t work out, and Jonny Castro Otto also didn’t give Semedo the push he needed. In his first two seasons at Wolves, Semedo’s position was there for the taking, as he lacked consistency. Matt Doherty was also unable to oust the 30-year-old last term, but Semedo was admittedly fantastic in 2023/24.
Now, Wolves look to have landed a real gem in the technical and athletic Lima – and the Brazilian teenager could be exactly what Semedo needs.
Early days, but Lima looks very exciting
Lima has only been at the club for a month. But the signs are already there – Wolves appear to have landed a really exciting young talent. He has really impressed journalist Liam Keen, who has been watching the team out in the US.
Now, we know that Gary O’Neil absolutely adores Semedo. We heard the manager say that he was ‘desperate’ to keep hold of the player earlier this summer.
And the manager played him pretty much every game in 2023/24.
Undoubtedly, he was brilliant last season.
Wolves have done something very smart though in bringing in Lima for £8.5 million. Semedo will now be forced to raise his game further for Wanderers as a result of his new competition.
Should he fail to do so, then he might find his position under threat for the first real time since he came to the club.
He’s got a lot of credit in the bank with O’Neil. But Lima might just give the manager a few selection headaches throughout 2024/25.
Given Semedo will be suspended at the start of the coming season, Lima may actually have a decent chance of playing from the off ahead of Doherty.