Wolves midfielder Joe Hodge is in talks with League One side Huddersfield Town about a potential loan move, but Scottish side Hibernian are also interested in the 21-year-old. (Express and Star), external
We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's 3-0 friendly win for Wolves against RB Leipzig.
Here are some of your comments:
Mike: Friendlies are what they are - friendlies. However, with the majority of our first XI having a run-out we looked good. Injuries prevailing, we could have a decent season. Good to see we are scoring goals as well.
Ted: I see us finishing in the top eight. The teamwork in the three friendlies is so good to see. Gary has a well oiled machine of a team to charge into the new season, full of confidence. Kilman has gone and yet he doesn't appear to be missed. This is THE season for Wolves.
Chris: I'm excited for the new season ahead. Also, Neto says he's happy at Wolves, so this could turn out to be a great season for us.
Kevin: I believe that we have the makings of a better team than last season.
Image source, Getty ImagesWolves boss Gary O'Neil on the 3-0 win over RB Leipzig: "A pleasing performance. It’s nice to win, but it is just pre-season.
"The game went how we expected. It was very close to how we prepared, which helped, because a lot of the stuff we’d been working on was available to us. We get to look at why we maybe didn’t do it as well all the time and bits we can improve, but as a whole, it’s been a good ten days for us.
"My only disappointment was that we slightly lost our way and we’ve worked hard on that during pre-season. I was hoping we might be able to fix it without my intervention at half-time, but we are early in the process and once we discussed it in the dressing room, the lads were able to solve a lot of it themselves.
"But it was a good performance, a good win and a great way to finish the trip. I’m looking forward to getting back to England and playing Vallecano the weekend before the Premier League starts."
Image source, Getty ImagesWolves finished their pre-season tour of the United States with a 3-0 win over RB Leipzig.
What did you learn from this game, Wolves fans?
We asked for your views on Wolves' 2024-25 away kit, which was released on Friday.
Here are some of your comments:
David: Loving the new black kit. Very striking!
Darron: Although I have to say I like the design of the new away kit, I've become, like many, unhappy that each season we have three new kits, plus goalkeeper jerseys, training kits, pre-match and post-match jerseys, it's all become a bit too much I'm afraid. It's becoming a Premier League fashion show, all aimed at parting money from its hard-earning supporters.
Steve: Like the home shirt, it’s really nice but ruined by the scale of the sponsor’s logo which swamps the badge.
Monty: I think the away kit is stupendous! As a Wolves fan myself, I think the all black and slightly gold contrast looks amazing. Well done Wolves!
Joe: Think it looks a lot better than the leaks suggested. Don't think I'll be buying on release and see what it looks like in person first!
Image source, Wolves FCWolves have unveiled their away kit for the 2024-25 season.
In describing the new colours, the club said: "A nod to heritage and identity, the iconic old gold is featured as a striking accent throughout the all-black kit. This pays homage to the club’s rich history while complementing the modern design. Dominating the chest, the central Wolves club crest occupies a position of prominence, underscoring the club’s primacy."
What do you make of it, Wolves fans?
Let us know your thoughts on the kit here, external
Image source, Getty ImagesWolves boss Gary O'Neil confirmed he is yet to pick his vice-captain and says 22-year-old Tommy Doyle would be "capable" in the role.
Fellow midfielder Mario Lemina was named as the new club captain last week, but his understudy is yet to be decided.
Doyle, who played on loan at Wolves from Manchester City last season, joined on a permanent deal this summer and despite his tender years took the armband during Wolves' pre-season defeat by Crystal Palace.
"We haven't decided on a vice captain, but Tommy's good with the standards he sets." O'Neil said.
"He's more than capable of wearing it and still performing as you saw, because he played well,
"I don't like calling it a leadership group, but there will be people within the group who I’ll lean on because of how they are, and Tommy will be in and amongst those. Matheus [Cunha] and Nelson [Semedo] are missing and two leaders for the group, so I'm looking forward to getting the group back together."
We asked for your thoughts after Thursday's friendly game between Crystal Palace and Wolves.
Here are some of your comments:
Crystal Palace fans
Simon: Hard to gauge where we are at as most players only got 45 minutes but what is clear is the style under Oliver Glasner is taking shape. We pressed high, had chances and the goals were well taken. We looked a little vulnerable at the back and Dean Henderson made two excellent stops but overall, the win was merited. Still work to be done but Daichi Kamada looks like a bargain.
Clint: Really good outing. Very impressed by the youth in the second half as I feel that the future is bright for palace. Henderson was fantastic. All of the goals were amazing. On to West Ham.
Paul: It was a friendly, so you can’t take too much from the result. Having said that, it was valuable playing time for some of the young players that Palace have been developing. I can’t wait for the season to start as I feel the most positive I’ve felt in a long time.
Wolves fans
Bryce: We really need a better back-up keeper. For all Jose Sa's faults he does stop shots. Dan Bentley gives me the jitters every time the ball comes near and doesn’t inspire any confidence. We need to be faster at centre-back as well please if we are playing a back four. Goncalo Guedes is surprisingly showing real quality at last
Rich: Very poor in the second game, conceding some poor goals and basic defensive errors were seen too often. Wolves failed to do the basics right and showed transitioning to a defensive four won't be as easy as people are expecting. We have no pace at the back especially centrally, so work needs to be done in the transfer window to provide quality.
Image source, Wolves via Getty ImagesWolves boss Gary O'Neil spoke to the media after the 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace in Annapolis.
"We conceded two goals from their goalkeeper kicking it over our heads, so there's a couple of lessons to learn there for the lads.
"The first one was maybe a bit unfortunate, the bounce of the pitch wasn't normal and Dan Bentley maybe just misjudged it slightly. The second one is really poor, booting it over our heads and nobody is ready to race.
"But I thought we looked like a good side for a lot of it. I thought we looked threatening. We had good control against a difficult side, in a difficult shape to play against. The boys who played today were not the ones who started against West Ham, so it was good for them to get some good minutes in the legs.
"I don't like losing, but it terms of what we came to get out of the game, it was a good exercise."
Wolves and Fulham have entered the race to sign 21-year-old French defender Isaak Toure from Lorient. (Football Insider), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Image source, Wolves via Getty ImagesGoals from Jeff Schlupp, Jordan Ayew and Asher Agbinone helped Crystal Palace secure victory over Wolves on Thursday with Santiago Bueno mustering a late response for Gary O'Neil's side.
What did you think about that performance, Palace fans?, external
Wolves supporters, did you learn anything from the game?, external
Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty ImagesPlayers like Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund are already suffering from hamstring injuries two weeks before the season even starts - and they say the modern preparation regimes are better, safer and more scientific!
They probably are better. At least the players do not have to go through some of the borderline sadistic routines that previous generations did. Back then, after a decent length of summer break, pre-season meant working incredibly hard over a short period of time to get yourself back in top condition fast.
Sprinting up and down gigantic sand dunes against the clock until many players were physically sick was de rigueur, alongside other road runs and track work.
Here is the weird part: I used to look forward to that, the way a class swot looks forward to exams. Being smaller, lighter and a committed long-distance runner all my young life, even before I became a pro footballer, it was, if not exactly a piece of cake, then certainly much easier for me than most of the rest of the team.
I have asked many modern managers what they would prefer to do in a perfect world during their pre-season. The most common answer is "just about anything other than what we are forced to do now!"
Image source, Getty ImagesPat Nevin, former Chelsea, Everton and Scotland winger writing in his Football Extra newsletter:
The pre-season friendlies are in full swing and let's be straight about this, the players generally hate these games, whatever they say.
They clearly haven't had enough rest in the summer, it is a grind getting your body back into peak shape, especially if the accumulated injuries from last season haven’t been allowed to fully recover.
The games themselves are weird affairs, where you would like to win but that is nowhere near the most important thing. Fitness, integrating new players, possibly a new manager and sometimes a new system are each more important. You also know full well that it is a hotch-potch of a team selection to give players minutes. The fans, mass media and social media will read far too much into every game and every performance.
From within the team itself, there are different motivations. A young or new player being given his first chance will be racing about like an overexcited spaniel. Other experienced players will be easing themselves back into it, the primary concern in their minds is to be fit and healthy come the first weekend of the Premier League season.
Deep down they don't worry if they get thumped by Celtic or DC United on their US tours, nobody at Chelsea or Aston Villa will remember or care about these results in two weeks' time.
Unless of course you are a DC or indeed Celtic fan. The Celts just beat Chelsea and Man City. Now that is impressive pre-season form or is that just Scottish bias.
Image source, Getty ImagesWolves winger Enso Gonzalez sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury to his right knee while playing for Paraguay at the Olympics in Paris.
The 19-year-old was carried off on a stretcher during the first half of Paraguay's 4-2 win over Israel on Saturday.
Wolves' head of high performance Phil Hayward said: "As medical staff, we are in close communication with our Paraguayan counterparts to arrange surgery for Enso and begin the rehabilitation process."
Gonzalez joined Wolves last summer and made one substitute appearances in the Premier League.
Image source, Wolves via Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on Wolves' 3-1 win over West Ham during both sides' tour of the United States.
Here are some of your comments:
Wolves fans
Matt: Great to get one over Lopetegui. We looked pretty sharp overall. Pedro Lima and Rodrigo Gomes an instant hit with the fans, just hope Matheus Cunha's injury isn't anything too serious.
Simon: They looked very sharp at times and our new signings did very well. Excited to see what Rodrigo Gomes and Jorgen Strand Larsen can do when the season kicks off. If we can shore up central defence, this could be a good season for us.
Craig: Very encouraging - yes it's only a friendly but after watching all of Wolves' friendlies last pre-season when everyone was writing us off, it was clear we had a good team and were going to be fine. I think the signs are very similar again this season.
West Ham fans
Faith: We're looking a little more attack-minded compared to last season, and we've still a few players to come back, so hopefully we start playing some better football. However, the defensive mistakes from last season still seem to be lingering. We simply can't have the same number of goals conceded as we did last year. Really needs sorting out.
Jon: I don't think it's worth worrying too much on the performances in friendlies, but we were far too slow. We've been left with an ageing squad from last season and we are in serious need of new transfers and squad depth soon; energy and pace is desperately needed.
Dave: Pre-season results are no indication of the season to come.
Image source, Getty ImagesNew West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui's side suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of former club Wolves in their pre-season friendly in Jacksonville, Florida.
In a match that was delayed by just over two hours because of stormy weather, Matheus Cunha put Wolves in front before having to go off injured.
Mohammed Kudus equalised for the Hammers just before half-time, but two goals from Rodrigo Gomes after the break gave Wolves the win.
"He [Cunha] felt a slight pain behind his knee," said Wolves manager Gary O'Neil.
"It's disappointing. With the game being delayed and the wet pitch, they work so hard and are finely tuned, so it doesn't take much to throw them.
"Matheus is incredibly important to us, but the early signs don't look bad. He won't be risked again until he's completely fine, so the next few days I can provide an update."
Lopetgui has replaced David Moyes as West Ham boss, and said the Hammers "have to improve in a lot of things with and without the ball".
He added: "We have a lot of work to do in front of us."
Despite a delayed kick-off due to tropical storms, it was Wolves who came out 3-1 winners over West Ham in the inaugural Stateside Cup tie.
Forward Matheus Cunha put Wolves ahead after 18 minutes, before Mohammed Kudus levelled for the Hammers just before the break.
Two second half goals from substitute Rodrigo Gomes fired Gary O'Neil's side in front and they saw the game out to take the win.
It was a taste of Premier League football for this match in Florida, but what did you learn from the performances?
David Lockwood
BBC Sport Editorial Sustainability Lead
Image source, Getty ImagesLos Angeles or Chesterfield? San Diego or Salford?
The pre-season destinations of 20 Premier League clubs may be varied, but the issue remains the same - the impact of so many flights.
Half (10) of the clubs have flown to the United States for friendlies; three have travelled to the Far East and the rest are in Europe and the UK.
Manchester United's pre-season schedule see them flying almost 13,000 miles playing fixtures in Norway, Scotland, and across the US. Chelsea and Tottenham are also expected to fly in excess of 12,000 miles.
In contrast, Everton will fly the least, with just one fixture outside the UK in the Republic of Ireland.
Spurs and Newcastle also played an exhibition fixture in May - three days after the season finished - for which they both flew to Melbourne, Australia, a game Alan Shearer described as “madness”. Add in those air miles and both teams will have travelled in excess of 30,000 air miles in the close-season, equivalent to more than once around the globe, to play in non-competitive matches.
Newcastle and Spurs both have a target to be Net Zero by 2030, while Manchester United and Chelsea are in process of establishing an emissions reduction plan.
Net Zero requires the reduction and removal of all 'non-essential emissions' - so are these games essential?
Wycombe's David Wheeler is a leading sustainability campaigner in football and told BBC Sport: "These games are only necessary in the sense that the clubs want to make more money and grow their fan base".
He added: "The vast majority of players don't want to be away from their families, they don't want to be travelling around the world after a full slog of a season. They're overworked and injuries have gone through the roof, so there is a synergy between player welfare and planetary welfare."
An estimated travelling group of 30 flying 12,864 air miles business class generates around 200 tonnes of CO2 - the equivalent of 500,000 miles driven by an average petrol car, or the entire annual emissions for a year of 16 people in the UK.
Tottenham said it is "committed to minimising its environmental impact" in all its operations, "which will take time and effort". The club says it "ensures" all teams travel "as sustainably as possible throughout the season". It "measures, manages and reports on travel emissions" and will offsets "where possible."
Read more about the Premier League's pre-season air miles here
Including the May trip to Australia for Newcastle and Tottenham more than doubles those two clubs' total flights in the close-season and puts them way above the rest of the Premier League for environmental impact
We asked for your views on the news that Mario Lemina was going to be the new Wolves captain.
Here are some of your comments:
Dave: The right choice. Dare I say it, but we may have picked up a couple more points had he been captain last season. He is vocal and leads by example. Not sure Max Kilman did either.
Karen: Excellent. The captain should be in midfield or defence, in my opinion. He is a great choice.
Martin: Great choice. He will lead by example. Nobody works harder on the pitch than Super Mario.
West Wales Wulf: Absolutely had to be. The man has been outstanding since his first day at the club! Leads by example.
Richard: Mario was the obvious choice, and for good reason. Straw polls among fans after Max's departure showed two-thirds of us would back him for the captaincy. He shows tremendous leadership on and off the pitch and has clearly made Molineux his home. Absolutely spot-on decision by O'Neil that will help us kick on next season.
Ricky: Lemina was my first choice. I was not impressed with him signing for us until his first game. He's just what we needed. He seems like a leader on the pitch.
Image source, Getty ImagesMario Lemina has been named as Wolves' captain.
The midfielder, who came to Molineux in January 2023, has skippered the team in their first two pre-season matches and will replace the departed Max Kilman with the armband.
"Mario was a standout choice for me," manager Gary O'Neil said.
"We have some real good leaders in the group but I think, for Mario, it's really good timing for him. He has big respect from the players, around all the different groups, and drives standards.
“We had a little chat to check his thinking and he was really pleased and excited, and he's done it really well since he’s taken over the last few weeks.
"He's very good at portraying the messages that we want and what the group needs. I'm excited to see what we can do, what Mario can do, and how the players can perform this year with Mario as their captain."
How do you feel about this decision, Wolves fans? Is Lemina the right choice or did another player deserve the armband?
