Wolves V Man City: Pictures
Wolves have been on a downward spiral in recent years and will more than likely be happy just to retain their Premier League status this season. The Black Country giants secured back-to-back seventh-place finishes under Nuno Espirito Santo following their return to the top-flight in 2018. And the strugglers would now have a dazzling XI if they hadn’t sold five superstars. Express Sport takes a look at the team they could currently be lining-up with in if history had played out differently.
Goalkeeper – Patricio
Rui Patricio spent three years at Molineux after joining Wolves from Sporting in 2018 following the club’s promotion back to the Premier League. The 107-time capped Portugal goalkeeper kept 31 clean sheets in 112 Premier League matches before jumping ship to join Roma in a deal worth just over £10million, according to Transfermarkt.
Current shot-stopper Jose Sa is hardly out of his depth in the Premier League after producing a string of top-drawer performances. But Patricio was a star between the sticks.
Defence – Doherty, Dawson, Kilman, Ait-Nouri
Wolves would perhaps look exactly the same at the back as they do today if they hadn’t sold some of their best players over the years, with Matt Dawson and Max Kilman impressing in the centre of the backline. The duo have started every top-flight match this term, with Kilman excelling in his captaincy role.
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One current player who did leave Wolves is Matt Doherty, with the right-back joining Tottenham three years ago. But the Ireland international returned to Molineux in the summer after a loan spell with Atletico Madrid. He would feature at right-back, with Rayan Ait-Nouri slotting in at left-back.
Midfield – Lemina, Nunes, Neves
The Wolves midfield would be hugely exciting if it weren’t for the departure of two key players in the summer. Gary O’Neil’s side cashed in on Ruben Neves, who joined Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal for almost £48m in June, before allowing Matheus Nunes to move to Manchester City for nearly £54m at the end of the transfer window.
Both players were imperious for Wolves and would be key to O’Neil’s plans if they were still in the Black Country. The duo would line-up in the centre of the pitch with Mario Lemina, who joined Wolves from Nice in January.
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Forwards – Neto, Jota, Gibbs-White
Wolves have often been criticised for their attacking output since returning to the Premier League and have once again found goals hard to come by this campaign. Pedro Neto is perhaps their most dangerous attacking player and would likely hold down a starting place whoever he was playing with at Wolves.
But the 2018 Championship winners could also call upon the services of Diogo Jota if they hadn’t sold the forward to Liverpool for £39m in 2020. Jota bagged 44 goals in 131 appearances for Wolves and has racked-up 45 strikes for the Reds after featuring 122 times for them. The 26-year-old would also be joined in the front line by Morgan Gibbs-White, who is now plying his trade for Nottingham Forest after moving to the east Midlands for over £25m last summer.
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