Wolves were extremely busy on transfer deadline day as they announced three new signings, much to the delight of Gary O’Neil.
Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was the first to arrive at Wolves, with the Wanderers paying around £10 million to sign him from Crystal Palace.
The Old Gold also addressed two more positions, as Brazilian international midfielder Andre was signed from Fluminense for £21m while Ajax winger Carlos Forbs joined as Pedro Neto’s successor.
The main glaring omission in the squad that Gary O’Neil on Deadline Day was a new senior centre-back to replace Max Kilman, as 18-year-old Bastien Meupiyou is expected to fight for his place in the first-team squad.
Nonetheless, with the additions of Forbs and Andre, in particular, O’Neil has a competitive squad to select from after transfer deadline day.
Wolves’ strongest XI after transfer deadline day
Johnstone has arrived as competition for Jose Sa, who was wanted by Arsenal on deadline day but the Portuguese shot-stopper remained and should keep his place as number one.
Defensively, there isn’t much change, as O’Neil’s strongest defence in a back four consists of Nelson Semedo, Toti Gomes, Yerson Mosquera and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
As for the midfield, the addition of Andre gives O’Neil a quality option who can push for a starting place. Joao Gomes and Mario Lemina have built an unbreakable partnership but Andre, once settled in England, could form a brilliant partnership with his countryman.
One player who could slot straight into the starting lineup on the right is Forbs, who was brought in to replace Neto and at the age of 20, has scope to develop into a top talent.
That leaves Matheus Cunha playing in the number 10 role, with Hwang Hee-Chan on the left and Jorgen Strand Larsen as a central striker.
- Wolves best possible XI (4-2-3-1): Sa; Semedo, Toti, Mosquera, Ait-Nouri; Andre, Gomes; Forbs, Cunha, Hwang; Strand Larsen
The big problem O’Neil has at Wolves
Wolves desperately needed to sign a centre-back in this transfer window, particularly after conceding eight goals in their first two matches.
O’Neil was linked with a few names but their attempts to sign a new central defender failed, and that means they’ve been left short at the back.
Meupiyou’s arrival did help with the depth somewhat however, at the age of 18, he’s unlikely to be given regular starts right away.
Ultimately, Wolves haven’t replaced captain Kilman and that will be a worry for most supporters this season given he played every single minute in 2023/24.