Vitor Pereira is relishing life at Wolves, but the manager is set to have a dilemma to tend to in the summer.
It was only in December that Pereira arrived to save Wolves’ season, succeeding Gary O’Neil when the Old Gold were 19th in the Premier League table.
Now 13th and safe from relegation, Pereira has turned Wolves’ campaign around resoundingly, getting fans excited ahead of the 2025/26 calendar.
The summer is set to be a crucial time for the Wolves manager, who must be backed by Fosun; however, it’s not only in the transfer window that the Portuguese coach could find the resources to bolster his squad.
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Wolves expert predicts squad battle between Rodrigo Gomes and Hugo Bueno
Wolves sent several players out on loan in the summer, one of which being Hugo Bueno, who joined Feyenoord to experience the Eredivisie and the Champions League.
Now coached by Robin van Persie, Bueno has generated a lot of transfer attention due to his impressive form overseas, something that Pereira will be desperate to see for himself.
Bueno will return to Wolves in the summer, where the manager will make a decision on the Spaniard’s next steps, something that could spark a selection headache.
That’s the opinion of journalist Nathan Judah, who predicted on the E&S Wolves Podcast that Bueno’s return could induce a ‘battle’ with Rodrigo Gomes.
“I think it’ll be a battle between Hugo Bueno and Rodrigo Gomes,” Judah said, following on from his opinion that Rayan Ait-Nouri could leave Wolves.
The Wolves reporter went on to speculate that Bueno would have the ‘edge’ over Gomes at present in the left-back spot, but insisted that the summer signing has the means to fight for a starting spot.
“I think Hugo Bueno would probably be given the edge with his, you know, going away a boy and coming back a man scenario.
“Pre-season is going to be very big, but I think Rodrigo Gomes slash Hugo Bueno would be an interesting battle.”
While Bueno has been perfecting his craft at Feyenoord, Gomes has won over the hearts of Molineux, giving Pereira two sturdy options ahead of next season.
Rodrigo Gomes and Hugo Bueno can offer a lot to Vitor Pereira
Judah predicted that the pair could battle it out for a starting spot at wing-back, which, when looking at their statistics, is a fair assessment.
Given what Pereira wants from his wing-backs, both players have the ability to excel in the role, as seen by their successes in attack and defence.
There isn’t a lot to separate the duo, as Gomes and Bueno are statistically comparable based on their performances over the 2024/25 calendar.
Putting the idea of having the two compete with one another aside, Pereira could find a solution to playing both full-backs simultaneously, as Gomes’ heatmap clearly shows that he’s deployable on either flank.
Whether the Wolves manager sees the two players as a cause for a selection headache or a celebration for the future of the back five remains to be seen, as pre-season holds great importance.