Wolves needed to sign a midfielder before the transfer deadline ended, but the Old Gold failed to do this.
The feeling at Wolves about their business is not great. Despite making seven signings, the squad has been left in a weaker position than last season.
Wolves could turn to the free agent market to address their issues, but they may be able to solve their problems a lot closer to home.
Mateus Mane has been impressive in the under-21s, and he could be someone Pereira turns to throughout the season. However, he wouldn’t provide a solution in the middle of the pitch.
But one of Mane’s academy teammates could.
Luke Rawlings could provide more depth for Vitor Pereira
Luke Rawlings is highly rated at Molineux, and he has been for quite a long time. He was just 16 years old when he got his first experience in the first-team.
Back in April, Rawlings was one of ten Wolves prospects that stood out to those at the club, and the midfielder was also included in the most recent pre-season squad.
Even before Vitor Pereira was named as manager, the 17-year-old was in and amongst the first-team.
In 2024, Gary O’Neil named the player in his pre-season squad, and handed him minutes against West Ham in the USA.
In August 2024, O’Neil also named Rawlings as part of his squad for an EFL Cup match against Burnley. While he did not receive any minutes then, it was another big sign of approval for the player.
If Vitor Pereira finds himself needing more midfield options, then Luke Rawlings should definitely be on their mind.
He has already worked with the first team and with Pereira, and he was also just handed his first professional contract.
Rawlings is clearly a talented player, and opening the door for a homegrown talent to shine should certainly be something both the manager and club are willing to do.
Poor transfer window could open the door for more academy players
The one benefit of the terrible transfer window is that more academy players could be called up to solve issues that appear.
Unfortunately, injuries in football are inevitable, and while you do not hope for them to happen, they will.
If Vitor Pereira finds himself with squad issues that have resulted through injury, that would leave space for some of the younger players to be named amongst the squad.
Even if they do not see many minutes, the whole situation could provide them with valuable experience.
And perhaps, the club could even unearth their next Morgan Gibbs-White.