Although many predicted Wolves would be in a fierce battle for relegation, the team managed to finish in 14th position in the Premier League last season.
With 20 points above the bottom three, the Old Gold were never in danger of being relegated, but things might have turned out very differently if Matheus Cunha hadn’t been injured.
The Brazilian was a timid striker before Gary O’Neil gave him confidence and turned him into one of the best finishers in the Premier League.
Cunha’s scoring total increased from just two goals in his first 20 Wanderers appearances to 14 goals and eight assists across all competitions in 2023–2024.
Despite being written off as a failure in the past, O’Neil deserves a great deal of credit for his turnaround, as the 25-year-old has contributed more goals than any other player in the Wolves lineup.
Cunha became a talisman for Wolves, much like Erling Haaland of Manchester City, Cole Palmer of Chelsea, and Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa. One statistic shows how important he was.
For the Wolves, how many points did Matheus Cunha win? Palmer, the attacker for Chelsea, contributed 33 goals to his team’s total of 26 points, which gave him the most points of any player in the Premier League, according to Opta and the Athletic.
Naturally, Mohamed Salah of Liverpool is in second place with 23 points from goals and assists, while Cunha of Wolves earned a massive 15 points with 19 goal contributions in the top division.
He now shares elite company with Dominic Solanke of Bournemouth, Kai Havertz of Arsenal, and Leon Bailey of Villa, all of whom helped their teams rack up an additional 15 points.
It meant that Wolves, who had only five points separating them from 18th place and relegation-bound Luton Town, ended up in 17th place instead of a comfortable 14th.
Matheus Cunha can fire Wolves into Europe in 2024/25
It will depend on how well O’Neil is backed and whether key players such as Pedro Neto and Rayan Ait-Nouri stay but Cunha can certainly fire Wolves into Europe in 2024/25.
Throughout the majority of the season, the Old Gold toyed with the notion, but as injuries claimed their toll, their incredibly thin team finally broke and they were eliminated.
With just one victory in their last ten league games, Wolves’ troubles were evident, but O’Neil has proven at Molineux and, given the right support, possesses the tactical acumen to lead Wolves to greater heights.
Between now and August, a number of positions need to be filled, with the Wolves manager’s top priority being a new center-forward to replace the aging Craig Dawson, a central defender to challenge Dawson, and a new left wing-back to support Ait-Nouri.
The Wanderers might be a formidable team if Fosun is ambitious during the transfer market and retains their finest players, something they did not succeed in doing last summer.
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