Wolves will be braced for a busy summer in the transfer window as Gary O’Neil eyes reinforcements although, the manager may also be wary of some possible departures.
It’s been a thrilling season for Wolves thanks to the guidance of Gary O’Neil however, the Old Gold’s successes are at risk of being overcast by a dip in form during the run-in to the summer.
O’Neil’s side are currently in a dire spell of form, having secured just one win from their previous nine in the Premier League, seeing the Midlands club slip down to 13th in the table.
The summer will be crucial for the manager to bolster his squad, with results attributable to injury woes and lack of depth although, while attention will be on incomings, several possible departures could be alarming for the club.
Wolves could lose Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo in the transfer window
Rayan Ait-Nouri has been subject to speculation over his future, with transfer expert Graeme Bailey exclusively telling Molineux News that the Old Gold are ‘gearing up’ to lose the Algerian amid interest.
While losing Ait-Nouri would be a blow for O’Neil, the Englishman could be prompted to re-think how his entire backline may look next season, with journalist Steve Madeley surfacing an alarming scenario that Wolves could face.
In a column for The Athletic, Madeley detailed that Nelson Semedo could also follow the 22-year-old out the door at Molineux in the summer, saying that ‘it is possible’ that neither of the fullbacks will ‘still be around’ by the start of 2024/25.
As well as the wingback duo, Madeley explained that further forward, the likes of Matheus Cunha and Pedro Neto ‘could potentially’ attract offers in the summer that the club may ‘find difficult to reject’.
Gary O’Neil must attempt to retain Ait-Nouri and Semedo
Throughout the season, it’s been clear just where Wolves have been thriving in O’Neil’s system, with the fullbacks being integral to how the Old Gold build passages of play.
It’s no coincidence that Semedo and Ait-Nouri have seen some of their best performances in a Wolves shirt come this term under O’Neil, who has utilised the pair’s strengths to great effect in playing a back five.
The Portugal international explained that the ‘freedom’ O’Neil has handed him has seen him play his best football this season since arriving at Wolves, making a potential exit even more difficult to comprehend.
READ MORE: Nelson Semedo explains the one key factor that makes playing under O’Neil so ‘easy’
Earning £80k-a-week, Semedo is expensive to maintain, but his form this campaign has suggested that he is worth the price although, with one year remaining on his contract, is time almost up for the former Barcelona ace?
Similar can be said of Ait-Nouri, who is said to be attracting interest from a host of Premier League clubs, a player whose sale could generate much-needed profit to allow O’Neil to replenish his squad.
It will be an interesting summer for Wolves and one that will be about retaining and replenishing the team ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.