Relegation or survival, Matheus Cunha breaks club record and more – three Wolves predictions before next season

Wolves are competing on two fronts. The Old Gold are past the halfway mark in the Premier League and remain in the FA Cup.

Vitor Pereira’s men are preparing for a Fourth Round FA Cup tie against Blackburn, but the priority is to secure Premier League survival.

The Old Gold are one of a few sides embroiled in a dogfight at the bottom of the table, and while there hasn’t been a lot to shout about this season, things look to be on the up after Wolves beat rivals Aston Villa 2-0 in an important Midlands Derby last time out.

With Wolves’ season hinging on their league form, we’ve made three predictions for things we think could happen before the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

READ: More than Man United and Spurs combined: Where Wolves’ January transfer spend ranks among the rest of the Premier League

Wolves stay in Premier League

Without question, Wolves’ biggest challenge is to beat relegation this season. The Old Gold endured a poor start to the campaign and have struggled to recover ever since.

At the time of writing, the side sits just above the drop zone, separated from 18th-placed Leicester City by just two points.

However, with Southampton on nine points and as good as down, and Everton in 16th but way ahead on 26 points, it’s fair to assume Leicester City and Wolves will battle it out to avoid the last remaining relegation spot.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
14	TottenhamTottenham	24	8	3	13	48	37	11	27
15	West HamWest Ham	24	7	6	11	29	46	-17	27
16	EvertonEverton	23	6	8	9	23	28	-5	26
17	WolvesWolves	24	5	4	15	34	52	-18	19
18	LeicesterLeicester	24	4	5	15	25	53	-28	17
19	IpswichIpswich	24	3	7	14	22	49	-27	16
20	SouthamptonSouthampton	24	2	3	19	18	54	-36	9

The Foxes are at a major disadvantage, though. Their squad isn’t as good, on paper, as Wolves’, and there remains huge uncertainty surrounding Ruud van Nistelrooy’s future.

In addition to that, out of the two, it is Leicester City who undoubtedly have the tougher remaining fixtures.

Leicester City’s hardest remaining fixtures

Not only will the Foxes travel to Molineux at the end of April, but they still have to play all of the league’s top six sides — Wolves, only two (Liverpool, Feb 16, and Man City, May 3).

• Feb 15: Arsenal (H)
• Mar 9: Chelsea (A)
• Apr 2: Man City (A)
• Apr 19: Liverpool (H)
• Apr 26: Wolves (A)
• May 10: Nottm Forest (A)

Facing so many problems on, and off the field, including a possible points deduction hanging over their heads, it is hard to make a case for Leicester City beating the drop.

Great news for Wolves!

Matheus Cunha becomes record sale

Matheus Nunes to Manchester City in 2023 for £53 million is Wolves’ record sale — another Matheus will almost certainly beat that though.

Matheus Cunha joined from Atletico Madrid in the 2022-23 season’s January transfer window. The Brazilian arrived at Molineux initially on loan before turning his switch permanent at the end of the campaign for £43 million.

Although he has just penned a new contract, nearly everyone associated with the club is expecting him to leave at the end of the season — regardless of where Wolves finish.

The South American’s eventual departure will surpass the fee paid for him, and if reports about Cunha’s release clause are to be believed, could see him move for £62.5 million. This would be a club record sale and top Nunes’ move to City by almost £10 million.

Vitor Pereira signs new Wolves contract

Pereira was named as Gary O’Neil’s successor at the end of last year. The Portuguese manager joined Wolves on Matchday 17 and kicked off his reign with a 3-0 away win over Leicester City.

The 56-year-old, who left Al Shabab, signed an 18-month contract keeping him in the Midlands until the end of next season.

However, should Pereira keep the Old Gold in the Premier League, keep on improving how the team are playing and continue to make smart signings, we expect the Wolves owners to offer him a new, and improved, deal.

Whether Pereira would commit to new terms remains to be seen, but he seems to be enjoying life in the Premier League, so, assuming he can retain Wolves’ top-flight status, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he stuck around for longer than his initial contract.