Gary O’Neil claims it is impossible to predict Chelsea’s team to face his Wolves side on Sunday but expects the Blues to improve this season.
Pedro Neto will return to Molineux for the 2pm kick-off after his £54m move to Stamford Bridge from Wanderers this summer.
Including the Portuguese, Chelsea have made 11 signings this summer and have more than 40 senior players on their books, leaving O’Neil trying to work out which XI they might need to prepare to face.
Gary O’Neil will be previewing Sunday’s clash with Chelsea from 1pm today 🎥
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 23, 2024
“You can see what they are trying to do,” he told a pre match media conference. “It’s impossible for me to sit here and pick a Chelsea line up. Trying to figure out what they are going to do will be tough.
“At this moment we know a little bit, we can watch a bit of Leicester with what Enzo (Maresca) did there last season. There’s a lot this week with the opposition which can change.”
O’Neil claimed the Blues are a club ‘in transition’ but added: “That doesn’t mean they can’t be successful with the amount of talent they have and they have a top coach.
“They have every right and chance of finishing very high up the league. They have signed a lot of good players. I expect them to be better than last season.”
Working hard on signings of our own
When it came to signing their own players before the end of the transfer window next week, O’Neil wouldn’t be drawn on Wolves’ interest in Burnley’s Dara O’Shea and Arsenal and England keeper Aaron Ramsdale, who has also been linked with Bournemouth.
“I won’t discuss any player who has not already signed for Wolves. Individual names and rumours, I’m not interested in,” the manager said.
“We are working hard to do some stuff which we think will help us. The important thing is, is the valuation of the player correct for us? It’ll be key for us in terms of what we can and can’t do in the next seven days.
“It’s more are the deals right, are the players right? We can do stuff, definitely, it just needs to fit properly for the team and club.”
Captain 🤝 Gaffer pic.twitter.com/5zG6mL8kyL
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 22, 2024
