Wolves earned mixed reviews for their business in the transfer window this summer but one decision is now made to look even more costly.
Wolves pocketed close to £100 million for star players Max Kilman and Pedro Neto, who joined West Ham and Chelsea respectively.
Gary O’Neil essentially used those funds to assemble his squad as eight players arrived at Molineux, including deadline day moves for Sam Johnstone, Andre and Carlos Forbs.
O’Neil successfully bolstered most positions this summer, aside from centre-back, and that wasn’t the only area of the pitch that was neglected.
Gary O’Neil now faces huge left-back problem ahead of Aston Villa vs Wolves
One position that the Wolves boss decided against strengthening this summer was left-back.
Wolves loaned out Spaniard Hugo Bueno to Feyenoord, which was seen as a solid move for his development, leaving him with Rayan Ait-Nouri and Toti Gomes as options with Matt Doherty also capable.
So far, the Wanderers have conceded a lot of their goals from that area of the pitch, with Ait-Nouri criticised for his defensive ability and Toti looking shaky on the left side of defence.
It left many questioning why a left-back wasn’t signed to challenge the Algerian and that concern has grown even further now as O’Neil confirmed that Ait-Nouri and Toti will require ‘late checks’ on their fitness ahead of Aston Villa.
The Wanderers’ defensive duo missed out on the matchday squad in the 3-2 defeat to Brighton as Doherty started in that position instead.
However, regardless of whether the pair are deemed fit to start this weekend, O’Neil will perhaps curse his position to not sign a left-back.
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Wolves should have signed a left-back in the transfer window
While Wolves had multiple options to slot into the left side of the defence, it doesn’t mean any were suitable for the switch to a four-man backline.
Ait Nouri – O’Neil’s regular starter in that role – is excellent going forward but often flatters to deceive when defending and that has caused them issues.
Toti is arguably better in central defence partnering the veteran Craig Dawson while Doherty left O’Neil ‘disappointed’ in the defeat to Newcastle, as the substitute failed to close down Harvey Barnes for his late winner.
Currently, the decision to loan Bueno out to Feyenoord is looking bad while their failure to not add a left-back to their squad is even worse.
For the Old Gold to carry out their new system effectively, signing a solid defensive left-back would have been handy, as this would have unlocked Ait-Nouri further up the pitch and resolved one alarming issue.