Opposition View: Wolverhampton Wanderers
After a six year absence and a brief stay in League One, Wolverhampton Wanderers are back in the Premier League for the 2018-19 season.
They were the outstanding team in the Championship last season, easing to the title thanks to a combination of some clever investment from shrewd Chinese owners, the players they were able to sign through their links with Portugese super agent Jorge Mendes and the appointment of one of the best up-and-coming managers in European football, Nuno Espírito Santo.
The future is clearly very promising for everyone involved at Molineux. In order to find out just how rosy everything is – and what it is like having Brighton as a bogey team – we spoke to Tom Baugh from Wolves blog ahead of the Old Gold’s visit to the Amex.
Wolves are back in the big time. How good was last seasons romp to the Championship title?
Thoroughly enjoyable. It never feels like a romp when you’re a supporter though does it? You’re always looking nervously over your shoulder until it’s mathematically certain. But it was clear fairly early on that we had the best players and the best team in that division so it was satisfying to see them realise their potential.
Plenty has been written about your links with super agent Jorge Mendes. How much of your recent success can be attributed to that?
I think it definitely gave us an edge in the Championship, but probably less of a factor in the Premier League. Ultimately I credit Nuno the most for our success because he’s knitted it all together, created an effective system and style of play and cultivated a real togetherness at the club.
Can you explain a little bit about how it works? Do you get a say in which Mendes clients rock up at Molineux for example? Does Mendes take a huge cut for bringing players like Joao Moutinho in at such cheap prices? Will we see Ronaldo in the famous gold shirts anytime soon?
I went in and spoke to the club about Mendes last season and they told me he was an ‘adviser’ who opened doors when they identified players they wanted to sign. He doesn’t dictate who we sign or even make suggestions (officially anyway). The club just have the option of seeking his help if they want to contact another club about a particular player. Unofficially I imagine he greases the wheels on most of the club’s deals and likely makes a killing. I imagine if Wolves can establish themselves in the top flight we might see some of Mendes’ more high profile players arriving, but Ronaldo is probably a bit of a stretch.
How far do you think Wolves can go with the set up and could you one day crack the top six?
If the owners keep pumping in the money, the team keeps on improving and better players are added, then why not? But you’ve got to take it on a season-by-season basis. If Man City decide they want to spend £50 million on Ruben Neves in the summer, he’ll probably go and it’s tough to replace talent like that regardless of how much you’ve got spend. I think we’ll stay up comfortably this season, so the job will be keeping our best players and adding more quality. I’ve got a lot of trust in our owners and the head coach so feel confident we will see progress.
How are you finding the Premier League on your return? What’s changed in the six years you’ve been out of it?
The Premier League gets stronger every season in my opinion. But fortunately Wolves are light years ahead of where they were six years ago and have been able to bridge the gap with a degree of comfort. I think every team is switched on tactically and have a handful of good players, so there are no easy games.
Tell us a little bit about Nuno Espírito Santo. What’s he like as a manager?
He has one system (3-4-3) and style of play – positionally disciplined, fast counter attacks, quick transitions and switches of play – and never deviates from it regardless of the opposition or what’s happening in the match. He gives nothing away in press conferences and uses most of his interviews to salute the fans. He doesn’t really credit individual players for anything and is only ever interested in talking about the team. I think he’s probably the best head coach Wolves have ever had and will go on to do great things – hopefully with us.
There aren’t many teams that Brighton can claim to be the bogey side of, but Wolves are one. What’s your favourite memory of playing the Albion?
There aren’t many. As you say, you normally come out on top. There was a good 3-3 at Molineux in 2012. We had a man sent off just before half time and you scored in the 89th minute to go 3-2 up. Roger Johnson then equalised in injury time – one of the few good things he did in old gold.
If you had to sign one player from Brighton, who would you pick?
Glenn Murray. The one thing we’re not doing is sticking the ball in the net so wouldn’t mind having him sniffing around in the penalty area to convert some of our incisive build up play.
Who are your picks at the moment to win the title and get relegated?
Still can’t see beyond Man City for the title. Cardiff, Huddersfield and Newcastle for the drop.
Finally, a prediction for Saturday please?
1-1. Brighton are a tough nut to crack on their own patch but I’m hoping we’ll get some sort of response after a below par performance against Watford. A draw is the safe bet.
Thanks to Tom for answering our questions. If you are going to read one more article today other than something on WeAreBrighton, then we recommend you check out this Wolves Blog post about forgetting a game. It’s a cracking read.
