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Bottom at Christmas- comfortably safe by May
For the first time since 2014/15, the club bottom on Christmas Day avoided Premier League relegation.
With a World Cup slap-bang in the middle of the season, it was always going to be a campaign of two halves for everyone, but this was none more so the case than at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Bruno Lage began as Wolves manager, yes I couldn’t believe that this season either, but was sacked in early October, having won just one of eight games.
Steve Davis remained in caretaker charge until the mid-season break and, at that point, Wolves were an absolute mess, sat bottom of the table, having won just two of 16 games.
Then came in Julen Lopetegui who had an immediate impact, beating Everton 2-1 on Boxing Day in his first game in charge, with Rayan Aït-Nouri bagging a 95th minute winner.
Under the Spaniard, the Wanderers would win eight more matches, which was enough to see them finish 13th, steering well clear of the relegation scrap.
Legendary manager Bill McGarry was in charge back then.
So, next season will be Wolves’ sixth consecutive campaign in the Premier League, but a bleak future could be on the horizon in the Black Country.
Will financial issues lead to a summer of change?
Ahead of their final game of the season, an inconsequential 5-0 drubbing at Arsenal, it was widely reported that Wolves’ finances are not in the best shape.
In short, having lost almost £50 million in the most-recent financial year, they’re teetering on the edge of breaking the Premier League’s FFP regulations, which allows clubs to lose £105 million over a three year period.
So, key assets will have to be sold, namely Rúben Neves, who’s been the face of this club ever since arriving, joining a then Championship outfit, six years.
Fellow stalwarts from the Nuno-era João Moutinho and Adama Traoré are out of contract, as is Diego Costa, who may have only scored one goal, but he certainly bought great pantomime villain energy to Molineux.
Matheus Nunes, who arrived for €38 million just last summer, may also seek pastures new.
In better news, could 23/24 be the season of Saša Kalajdžić?
He joined from Stuttgart for £15 million on 31 August before, on debut four days later, heartbreakingly rupturing his ACL, thereby missing the entirety of the campaign.
Most importantly, owner Jeff Shi and the hierarchy need to convince Julen Lopetegui to stay.
He was noncommittal when asked about his future on Sunday, in light of the FFP issues, but Lopetegui is an elite manager, and they’d have been in big trouble without him.
