Wolves are fully focused on their pre-season schedule where Gary O’Neil could revive the career of one player in a shocking turn of events.
The summer break and transfer window has been hugely beneficial for Gary O’Neil, who was denied the opportunity to gel with his squad last season at Wolves.
Due to the Englishman arriving just days before the 2023/24 campaign opener, O’Neil was unable to prepare his side for the tasks ahead as he would have liked.
Having already secured four new signings and engaged in a pre-season training camp in Marbella, the boss is getting to work in the hope of improving next season.
There are changes expected to be made to the squad, whether that be through transfers or added competition, with the manager having an extortionate task on his hands to revive the career of one Molineux outsider.
Wolves have an inaccessible superstar in Goncalo Guedes
The Old Gold have already participated in two pre-season friendlies, both ending in wins as Wolves faced Como and then Bristol City.
Fans were shocked to see the inclusion of one player both at the Marbella training camp and in action against Bristol City at Compton Park, as Goncalo Guedes featured.
It was the first time that the Portuguese forward had pulled on a Wolves shirt since January 2023, as O’Neil handed him a 30-minute cameo against the Championship side.
While Guedes isn’t a player who has shown his ability at Molineux, he is a player who has an abundance of talent there to be utilised.
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Last season, the 27-year-old spent half the campaign on loan at Benfica before joining La Liga outfit Villarreal in January.
Guedes contributed to five goals in the Spanish top flight, where his statistics reinforced the quality of the player that Wolves have on their books.
As per FBref, no forward in La Liga averaged a higher number of passes into the penalty area per 90 last season than Guedes, as the Wolves outsider was statistically comparable to World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann.
Another player considered comparable to Guedes based on their La Liga statistics in 2023/24 was Real Madrid ace Rodrygo, telling of the level the Portuguese ace can operate at.
Can Gary O’Neil finally unlock Guedes’ quality at Wolves?
While the 27-year-old’s quality is not questionable, his start to life at Molineux back in 2022 left him on the wrong side of Wolves supporters.
There was so much excitement when the Midlands club signed Guedes from Valencia after the 2021/22 season, where he contributed to 17 goals in La Liga before making the move to the Premier League.
Soon after touching down in Wolverhampton, it became clear that the forward was going to struggle, as lacklustre performances weren’t helped by the way he carried himself on the pitch.
So while O’Neil has a huge talent that he could work with, the manager’s greatest task this summer is to believe that Guedes actually has a place at the club.
Talent can only take a player so far, which has been seen under O’Neil, who has a clear stance on the type of attitude he will accept from his players, every individual should feel privileged to represent Wolves.
That being said, the boss clearly sees something that he could work with in Guedes, as the outsider was present at the club’s pre-season training camp in Marbella, whereas Fabio Silva was not.
If there’s any manager that Wolves fans would be confident of transforming Guedes, it’s O’Neil, who worked wonders on a handful of players during his first season at Molineux.
It would be a tremendous shock to see the former Valencia star turn things around at Wolves however, it’s certainly not impossible so long as O’Neil sees something worth fighting for this summer.