Wolverhampton Wanderers is presently enjoying a five-game Premier League winning streak, which includes a 2-1 victory over champion Manchester City and a 2-2 draw with Newcastle United. The team has enjoyed a strong start to the 2023–24 season.
During the summer transfer window, the team lost several well-known players, including head coach Julen Lopetegui, and important players like Matheus Nunes, Nathan Collins, Raul Jimenez, and Ruben Neves all moved on to better opportunities.
The position seems difficult for any new manager, but former Bournemouth coach Gary O’Neil has shocked both observers and supporters with the Wanderers’ current position in the standings, which is one spot above their finish from the previous year.
That doesn’t mean O’Neil has made all the right decisions thus far, though, as he may have made a grave mistake in the preseason by leaving out a first-team player who has been scoring goals this season—even surpassing Pedro Neto of Wolves in goals—from the starting lineup.
Pedro Neto’s season-long stats
In the 36th minute of Sunday’s match against the Magpies, Neto registered his eighth assist of the year while wearing a Wolves shirt. Mario Lemina’s head connected with his corner to tie the score at one.
Just over ten minutes remained when the Portugal international strained his hamstring, much to the dismay of Wolves fans and head coach O’Neil.
According to The Daily Mail, the 23-year-old was carried off the field on a stretcher and is anticipated to be out for six weeks. Nevertheless, the team is optimistic that Neto will be able to make a comeback before the busy Christmas season starts.
Although O’Neil acknowledged that Neto’s injury is a major setback for the group, saying that “he’s been a big part of what we’ve managed to do so far,” he also thinks that the club will be able to adjust in the absence of the leading assister in the Premier League.
Daniel Podence, a £17 million player, is one person who may have started in Neto’s place. When Nuno Espirito Santo was the head coach, the attacker moved to Molineux for £16.9 million from Greek Super League team Olympiacos in January 2020. In just over 100 games, the player scored 16 goals for the west Midlands club.
However, O’Neil disclosed a few days before to the summer transfer window closing that “the squad’s ambition and where we’re trying to get to and Daniel’s aren’t aligned,” suggesting that the 28-year-old wasn’t the new manager of Wolves’ favorite player.
Additionally, O’Neil had excluded Podence from the Wolves preseason roster in July, raising the prospect of Podence’s future departure. Podence agreed to a three-year contract and left Olympiacos before coming back to the team on loan.
However, given Neto’s extended absence, Podence’s performance in Greece this season might leave O’Neil looking foolish.
Podence’s season-long stats
Under Diego Martinez, Podence has contributed to seven goals this season in the Greek Super League, scoring five goals himself. The Wolves loanee has more goals than any other player.
According to FotMob, the winger at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium is scoring a goal approximately every 76 minutes. This season, in their respective leagues, Neto has five more assists but four less goals than Podence. According to FotMob once more, the Portuguese attacker has produced 10 opportunities this season and is assisting his teammates in scoring as well.
Comparing Podence to Europe’s top five leagues and major continental competitions, FBref places them in the top 8% for non-penalty goals per 90, the top 3% for shots on target per 90, the top 9% for passes into the opponent’s penalty area per 90, and the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90 throughout the season. Impressive figures, for sure.
Although Neto has better creative instincts than Podence, the loanee might have filled the huge void in Wolves’ forward line during his compatriot’s absence, and O’Neil may come to regret his choice.