Working with Gary O’Neil could be beneficial to one of Wolves’ transfer targets this summer for a key reason.
After the lows of the 2023 summer transfer window, not many would have expected Wolves to have started so efficiently in the 2024 market.
Gary O’Neil and Matt Hobbs have already secured the permanent signings of Tommy Doyle and Rodrigo Gomes, with Pedro Lima now travelling to England to sign his contract.
While the recent transfer news has been dominated by Wolves’ interest in striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, another target has emerged this week.
Wolves and Newcastle United have asked about transfer target Arthur Melo
Wolves are interested in Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo, who is likely to leave Turin this summer after a season-long loan at Fiorentina.
The news comes from journalist Nicolo Schira, who reported that both Wolves and Newcastle United have ‘asked’ for information on the 27-year-old.
Fiorentina turned down the option to buy Arthur for €20m (£17m), handing Hobbs and O’Neil an advantage in their hopes to bring the Brazilian to Molineux.
Why Gary O’Neil would be the perfect match for Arthur
It was only in the 2022/23 season that Arthur was in and around the Premier League, as he embarked on a loan spell from Juventus to Liverpool.
Unfortunately for the midfielder, it was a year of his career that couldn’t have gone any worse, as he ended the campaign with no Premier League appearances due to injury.
Now, the Brazilian could be handed a shot at redemption in the English top flight, with not many manager’s better qualified than O’Neil to revive a struggling star.
The 2023/24 season was O’Neil’s first at Molineux, which also represented the best campaign of two Wolves players in particular, as the boss helped both Matheus Cunha and Nelson Semedo kick on.
Prior to O’Neil’s arrival, Semedo was a right-back who was impressive on his day, but rarely a talking point, with Cunha showing his strengths in all areas apart from his end product.
Last term, the Portuguese defender was crowned Wolves’ Players’ Player of the Season, and Cunha contributed to 19 Premier League goals, telling of O’Neil’s impact on the duo.
Similar levels of attention could now be paid to Arthur, who will be desperate to find a stable new home where he can revive his career, with plenty more to offer at just 27-years-old.
The former Barcelona star was once lauded as having ‘extraordinary technical abilities’ by ex-Juventus boss Max Allegri, via The Mirror, and will be eager to find such quality at his next club.
Given how O’Neil transformed the fortunes of both Cunha and Semedo during his first season at Wolves, a similar outcome could be on the cards for the club’s latest transfer target.