Wolverhampton Wanderers tread water with relative comfort throughout the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, avoiding the murky depths on the wrong side of the dreaded dotted line.
Having lost Julen Lopetegui at the start of the season following disagreements in finances and direction, the fear of relegation was heightened considerably.
But Gary O'Neil's genial disposition and tactical wherewithal have seen Molineux cheer, with an improved frontline and cohesive squad securing a comfortable 14th-place finish, 20 points above relegated Luton Town.
Match of the Day presenter Jason Mohammed praised the manager's "incredible job", and while there will be hope that this foundation can be built on, the sharks are starting to circle for the Old Gold's shiniest commodities.
Wolves' most profitable players
After agreeing to multiple big-money sales last summer, Wolves do not have a pressing need to part with any players this summer; the ball, so to speak, is in their court.
1.
Matheus Nunes
Manchester City
01/09/2023
£53m
2.
Ruben Neves
Al Hilal
03/06/2023
£47m
3.
Diogo Jota
Liverpool
19/09/2023
£41m
4.
Morgan Gibbs-White
Nottingham Forest
19/08/2022
£25m (Initial)
5.
Nathan Collins
Brentford
04/06/2023
£23m
Still, The Telegraph has recently revealed that Manchester City and Newcastle United are intrigued by Pedro Neto's availability, though Wolves have responded by slapping a £60m price tag on their prized attacker.
The apparent inevitability of Neto's departure hangs like mist over Molineux, though he's not the only star who's attracting attention from outfits near the top, with tough-tackling midfielder Joao Gomes also touted with a departure.
According to Football Transfers, Arsenal and Manchester United are mulling over a summer move for the 23-year-old, though Wolves are relaxed about the situation and have set a £40m asking price.
Whether these impressive players are plying their trade under O'Neil come September is anyone's guess, but they certainly aren't the only ones possibly headed for the exit.
Goncalo Guedes has spent the 2023/24 season out on loan with Villarreal, and given that he earns more than the aforementioned aces combined, it would suggest that he must be sold with haste.
Why Wolves must sell Goncalo Guedes
As per Sofascore, Guedes – who is now 27 – spent the latter half of the term with the Yellow Submarine after being recalled from his failed stint with Benfica in Portugal, and he scored three goals and added two assists from nine starts in La Liga, completing 81% of his passes and averaging 1.2 key passes per game.
But the winger failed to produce the kind of robust and energetic performances that would be needed at Wolves next season, averaging 1.8 ball recoveries, 0.6 dribbles and 2.1 successful duels per outing.
Neto, in comparison, averaged 4.0 recoveries, 3.5 duels and 1.9 dribbles per Premier League match.
It's not like the Portuguese enjoyed a fruitful spell in England previously, signing from Valencia for a £27.5m fee in August 2022, ostensibly offering pace, power and potency to supercharge Bruno Lage's project.
But it didn't work out. Across the 2022/23 campaign, Guedes scored just one Premier League goal before being shipped out on loan to Benfica in January, with The Athletic's Tim Spiers even saying that he "beats [Francisco] Trincao in the battle" of Wolves' most pitiful forwards.
1.
Goncalo Guedes
£90k-per-week
1.
Pablo Sarabia
£90k-per-week
3.
Nelson Semedo
£80k-per-week
3.
Fabio Silva
£80k-per-week
5.
Hwang Hee-chan
£70k-per-week
6.
Matheus Cunha
£60k-per-week
7.
Boubacar Traore
£55k-per-week
8.
Pedro Neto
£50k-per-week
8.
Matt Doherty
£50k-per-week
8.
Max Kilman
£50k-per-week
*15.
Joao Gomes
£30k-per-week
And given that he's earning £80k per week at Molineux, a salary that actually totals the same as Neto and Gomes' pack packets combined, he's surely got to be sold.
Contracted until 2027, Guedes could still fetch a moderate sum, and O'Neil must ensure that this is one of his first ports of call this summer.
Who knows, maybe it will free up space and funds to relieve the need to cash in on two irreplaceable components in Neto and Gomes.
Wolves hit gold with £50k-p/w star who's worth more than Neves & Nunes
He would leave the club this summer
ByJoe NuttallMay 23, 2024
