The three biggest mistakes Wolves have made since they returned to the Premier League in 2018 which have contributed to the Old Gold’s downfall.
Wolves’ Premier League stay could be coming to an end this season. The Old Gold find themselves at the bottom of the table with just one point from seven games.
While Gary O’Neil’s tactics have been questionable, Wolves’ decline in recent years has been clear to see as they continue to tumble down the table.
Multiple mistakes have been made which have led to this precarious situation. In this article, Molineux News has listed three awful errors Wolves have made since 2018 which has aided their downfall.
Wolves signing Fabio Silva
Easily the worst pound-for-pound transfer in Wolves’ in recent history, Fabio Silva has consistently struggled for goals in Old Gold.
Since joining Wolves for a record £35 million fee in 2020, the striker has only netted five goals, with his last in the Premier League coming in the 2020/21 campaign.
While he did originally come as a backup, the youngster was fast-tracked into the first team after Raul Jimenez’s horrific injury.
Since then, he has rarely impressed and has mainly found himself out on loan, with Silva enduring four short spells at different clubs.
While Wolves did try to sell Silva in the summer, this did not occur, and he now finds himself on loan to Spanish side Las Palmas.
It is highly unlikely that he will ever reach his potential in Old Gold and he could end up leaving on a free at the end of his contract.
With multiple positions in dire need of first-team reinforcements at the time, Fosun could simply not afford to splash the cash on an unproven wonderkid and this has now clearly backfired.
Read more: Wolves’ worst-ever signings under Fosun, ranked.
Letting Nuno Espirito Santo leave Wolves
Since the turn of the century, no man has done a better job at Wolves than Nuno Espirito Santo.
When he came through the doors in 2017, he completely transformed the club. He took the Old Gold from a mid-table Championship club to eventually the Europa League quarter-finals.
However, after a poor 2020/21 campaign, he was let go, with the heights of his reign never being repeated since.
While it is no secret that Nuno made multiple mistakes in his final campaign, he had one unprecedented issue to deal with – COVID.
One of Wolves’ biggest strengths at the time was Molineux, with away trips feared by all in the Premier League.
With no crowds allowed, this definitely affected the season and potentially lost the team multiple points.
On top of this, injuries were rampant throughout the squad, with Jimenez’s by far having the biggest effect.
By the campaign’s end, Nuno had guided Wolves to 13th place. While this was the lowest finish in the Premier League during his reign, it was a respectable position in hindsight given the circumstances.
Since his departure, not one manager has been able to sustain the level of success Nuno achieved.
With Nuno continuing to succeed at other clubs, it is clear that Wolves should have supported their manager instead of making a rash decision.
Read more: Wolves’ 2017/18 Championship-winning squad, where are they now?
Wolves sending Adama Traore on loan to Barcelona
In January 2022, Wolves were flying high. Despite the departure of Nuno, Bruno Lage had steadied the ship at Molineux and had the team in fantastic form.
Not only were Wolves fighting for Europe, but they were also in the hunt for Champions League qualification.
After their 2-1 victory at Brentford, they were only four points behind Man United in fourth with a big game at Arsenal coming up.
One player who had become crucial to this run was Adama Traore. The winger had netted in the 3-1 victory over Southampton and had a late goal ruled out against the Bees.
However, despite this form, the club decided to loan out Adama to Barcelona for the second half of the campaign.
Following this, Wolves’ form collapsed as they ended up 10th, with injuries playing a big factor in their descent.
Adama would have no doubt been a massive asset to have in this run of games. He could have earned the club extra points to propel them to Europe which in turn could have stopped the potential snowball effect that followed in the next campaign.
Instead, Adama returned to an out-of-form Wolves in the summer after Barcelona decided not to take up the option to buy the winger.
With just one year left on his deal, the Spaniard left Molineux in 2023 for free and he now plays for Fulham.
Therefore, not only did this deal help capitulate Wolves’ campaign and Lage’s reign, but it also eventually led to a high-value asset leaving for free to a league rival.