‘Phenomenal’ finisher and two other Wolves gems who could make breakthroughs in 2026

Wolves fans will be hoping to see more youngsters make an impact within the first-team in 2026.

It has been a dismal 2025/26 season so far, but one of the shining lights in recent weeks has been Mateus Mane.

Mane made his debut for Wolves last season under Vitor Pereira, but at the beginning of the term he played exclusively with the U21s, with Vitor Pereira reluctant to turn to the youngster.

Now under Rob Edwards though, he has had a fair few opportunities.

And Edwards may well look to hand more young players at Wolves opportunities in 2026, saying recently (via Wolves official): “There is a way through, but ultimately, they’ve got to be good enough. That is the bottom line. There will be an opportunity for them if they’ve got the right attitude and they’re good enough.

“I’d love to give young players an opportunity here, nothing would give me greater pleasure, but we’re in a competitive business, and we’ve got to try and get results as well. It’s about trying to find that balance, but if they deserve it, then they’ll get that chance.”

With that said, here are a few young talents who might make their breakthroughs in 2026…

Fletcher Holman

Fletcher Holman signed for Wolves in January 2024 from National League South side Eastbourne Borough.

Last term, he had a loan spell with Solihull Moors, so at this point, the 21-year-old has decent experience of men’s football.

This term for the U21s, he’s scored nine goals in 23 games, and Holman is looking impressive.

Obviously, Wolves have lacked bite up top. So perhaps young Holman – described in the past by James Collins as a ‘phenomenal’ finisher – could start to get some opportunities later in the year if things are still the same. If Wolves go down, which sadly looks likely, he could well get decent minutes in the Championship.

Alfie Pond

Alfie Pond has actually already made five first-team appearances for Wolves, after making his debut against Blackpool in August 2023 in the Carabao Cup.

He actually even started for the first-team against Brighton a year later in the same competition.

There is a decent chance that we could see Pond enjoy a proper breakthrough at Wolves if the club slip into the Championship.

Emmanuel Agbadou has been linked with an exit, while Ladislav Krejci perhaps wouldn’t stick around to play in the second tier.

• READ MORE: Who is Alfie Pond? The Wolves youngster who is set to make his Premier League debut

Enso Gonzalez

Enso Gonzalez was signed by Wolves for £10 million in the summer of 2023, but had mostly played for the U21s since his arrival.

The initial plan was for Gonzalez to build up with the U21s and then play in the first-team. but he didn’t quite progress as quickly as people had hoped.

He did finally make his Premier League debut in May 2024 against Crystal Palace, coming on for the final moments.

But then Gonzalez suffered a serious knee injury while playing for Paraguay at the Olympic Games in Paris, which completely altered his path at Wolves.

That saw him miss the whole of the 2024/25 season. But Gonzalez is back now for Wolves, and recently played at the U20 World Cup.

Potentially, Gonzalez could head out on loan in January. James Collins believes Gonzalez is ready for first-team football, so we’ll see if he gets that with Wolves or elsewhere. He was on the bench against Brentford, so perhaps he is in Rob Edwards’ thinking.

Like Pond, he could finally enjoy a proper breakthrough if Wolves go down.