Wolves rival Brentford for Burnley's O'Sheapublished at 15:26 20 August
15:26 20 August
Nick Mashiter BBC Sport football news reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Wolves want to beat Brentford to Burnley defender Dara O'Shea.
A centre-back is a priority for the club having sold captain to Max Kilman to West Ham for £40m.
But Gary O'Neil's spending power is restricted despite also selling Pedro Neto to Chelsea in a deal worth £54m.
O'Shea came through the ranks at Wolves' bitter rivals West Bromwich Albion and made 107 appearances for the Baggies.
The 25-year-old joined Burnley last summer but was unable to help keep them in the Premier League. O'Shea has played in the Clarets' opening two Championship games, scoring in the 4-1 win at Luton.
'An upgrade on Sa' or would Ramsdale 'sit on bench at Wolves too'?published at 15:19 20 August
15:19 20 August
We asked for your thoughts on the news Wolves have made a bid to sign Arsenal and England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale on loan with an option to buy.
Here are some of your responses:
Murray: Ramsdale is an upgrade on Sa, whose distribution (essential if a team wants to play out from the back) is woeful. He is also indecisive coming for crosses, evident for Arsenal's first goal on Saturday. If Sa goes to Saudi then Wolves still have a problem, as neither of the back-up keepers are good enough for the Premier League.
Mark: Not sure if Ramsdale would want to join Wolves unless guaranteed first choice. Think he needs to move on from Arsenal, so would be a good signing. Other positions are arguably more of a priority; centre-back, wide player and another full-back. But, with limited funds seemingly available, tough decisions need to be made.
Trevor: Wouldn't be my top priority. Definitely a centre-half and probably another striker option would seem more urgent after the Arsenal performance.
Brian: Don't see a goalkeeper as an urgent need. A centre-back or a goalscorer seems the priority to me as replacements for Kilman and Neto. Ramsdale won't greatly benefit us this term.
Joe: I don't understand this move at all. He's an Albion fan and he sits on the bench every week. He's also going to be expensive wage-wise and I'd rather us fill some other positions. Unless there is a big bid coming in for Jose Sa, Ramsdale is only going to sit on the bench at Wolves too.
Mike: Sa is a shot-stopper only with no other qualities that are needed in modern football. He lacks distribution and footwork qualities and is not strong enough to attack forwards in set-piece situations. Ramsdale would be an excellent replacement, especially if a loan agreement could be made.
'Promising additions and encouraging signs'published at 12:49 20 August
12:49 20 August
Dazzling Dave Fan writer
When chances are missed, teams like Arsenal will not hesitate to make you pay, and that is exactly what happened. Simply glancing at the score or watching the highlights does not truly capture the match from Wolves' perspective.
Wolves are undergoing changes, trying out a new formation, introducing a fresh centre-back partnership, and giving three players their Premier League debuts. Yet, there were encouraging signs.
Rather than a complete overhaul, these changes represent a progression. Wolves have switched to a back four, with Toti and Yerson Mosquera selected as Gary O’Neil's main men at the back.
Despite Toti's year of Premier League experience, he appeared more uneasy and unsettled. Conversely, newcomer Mosquera showed composure, assertiveness and aggression, qualities that have been lacking in Wolves' defence for some time. Mosquera's approach is anything but timid and he is destined to be a fan favourite.
Switching to a back four is not our only change. We are playing out from the back more often, are more aggressive in and out of possession and are pressing higher.
While previous managers struggled with this formation, I am confident Gary will succeed - but I expect his new tactics will take time to refine.
There were two more debutants in Jorgen Strand Larsen and Rodrigo Gomes, and both look like canny purchases.
Although Rodrigo is not an oven-ready replacement for Pedro Neto, he was willing to take on defenders and I'm looking forward to seeing him grow.
New striker Strand Larsen was only denied a debut goal by the brilliance of Arsenal keeper David Raya, who pulled off a remarkable save. Rodrigo, Jorgen and Yerson are all promising additions to the squad.
Finally, the Emirates crowd was pretty quiet for about 20 minutes in the second half and that is quite an achievement, so I will count that as a success.
Wolves make Ramsdale move - what do you think?published at 09:12 20 August
09:12 20 August
We want your views on the news Wolverhampton Wanderers have made a bid to sign Arsenal and England keeper Aaron Ramsdale on loan with an option to buy.
Jose Sa has been first choice at Molineux since joining the club in 2021 from Olympiakos.
Would Ramsdale be an upgrade? Is the goalkeeping position a priority for Wolves to strengthen?
Podence attracting interest from Saudi Arabiapublished at 16:02 19 August
16:02 19 August
Nick Mashiter BBC Sport football news reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab are interested in Wolves forward Daniel Podence.
There has been no bid for the 28-year-old yet but the Portugal international could leave Molineux before the end of the transfer window.
Wolves remain relaxed over the situation and would be happy to keep Podence, especially after selling Pedro Neto to Chelsea for £54m. It is understood, though, if Al-Shabab, or another club, offered £10m then they would be likely to sell.
Al-Shabab have former Atletico Madrid star Yannick Carrasco and Italy international Giacomo Bonaventura in their squad.
Podence joined Wolves from Olympiakos in January 2020 and has made 106 appearances, scoring 16 goals.
He returned to Olympiakos on loan last season, scoring 15 times in 45 games.
Wolves keen on Wissa but Bees have made position clear published at 12:41 19 August
12:41 19 August
Nick Mashiter BBC Sport football news reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Wolves have already been told by Brentford they do not want to sell Yoane Wissa.
The Bees had made their stance clear before the forward scored the winner in the Sunday's 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace.
With the possibility Ivan Toney could leave the Gtech Community Stadium Brentford boss Thomas Frank said after the Palace win he wants Wissa to stay.
Wolves are looking for reinforcements after selling Pedro Neto to Chelsea - who come to Molineux on Sunday - for £54m and Wissa is on the list.
The 27-year-old has been at Brentford since joining from Lorient in 2021 and has scored 30 goals in 111 appearances.
Wolves boss Gary O'Neil does not have a pot of gold to spend and a centre-back to replace Max Kilman, after his £40m move to West Ham, is likely to be the priority.
Arsenal 2-0 Wolves - the fans' verdictpublished at 12:38 19 August
12:38 19 August
We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Arsenal and Wolves.
Here are some of your comments:
Arsenal fans
Chris: Typical early season game. Arsenal looked good but with plenty of room for improvement. I don’t believe Zinchenko should start. He makes too many mistakes and is not a top defender. We have plenty of options!
Vince: It was less comfortable than the media reports say. Raya had to pull off at least two good saves that were nearly certain goals. Haaland or Salah, for example, would have scored. Timber's appearance provided some timely spark to Arsenal’s play - credit to Arteta for seeing how much they needed that. I can't wait to see more of him.
May: My first ever game! Great atmosphere and I loved every minute. I thought Saka was outstanding and that long-range shot was unbelievable. Hope we can win the title this year. COYG!
Wolves fans
Mike: The result was as expected I thought Sa should have done better with the first goal. We were unfortunate that Raya made an excellent save from Larsen and the second goal came following a sustained spell of pressure from Wolves. The second half performance was much better and gives us something to build on.
Paul: While not expecting a positive result, the outcome was still disappointing. The performance indicated a much larger gap between Arsenal and Wolves than I would have expected. We were never really in the game. Early days but much improvement is essential - and quickly, otherwise we will be in a relegation battle for most of the season.
Steve: We look like a Championship side with Championship manager.
Catch up on the Premier League actionpublished at 11:09 18 August
11:09 18 August
Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's six Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Manchester United and Fulham.
Arsenal 2-0 Wolves: O'Neil's hard-working side miss attacking bitepublished at 18:50 17 August
18:50 17 August
Steven Sutcliffe BBC Sport Journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Jorgen Strand Larsen had arguably Wolves' best opportunity to score at Arsenal
While Wolves handed debuts to new signings Jorgen Strand Larsen and Rodrigo Gomes, on this performance it appears obvious that boss Gary O'Neil will need to strengthen his squad before the summer transfer window closes on Friday, 30 August.
With Pedro Neto having departed for Chelsea, at times there was no obvious attacking outlet.
The visitors largely played the role of well-behaved guests at Emirates Stadium, enjoying their fair share of possession but without offering any significant threat going forward.
Norway international Strand Larsen's one effort on goal produced an excellent save from Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya but the visitors rarely looked capable of scoring.
O'Neil will need to address that issue quickly to ensure they are to remain out of trouble this season.
Arsenal 2-0 Wolves: What O'Neil saidpublished at 17:43 17 August
17:43 17 August
Image source, Getty Images
Gary O'Neil spoke to BBC Sport after Wolves' defeat against Arsenal: "I thought we were good. I was pleased. I obviously don't like losing but we gave Arsenal a tough game. We restricted them to not too many chances.
"In terms of being in the game and having a chance I felt that, at 1-0 down I felt we were more likely than them.
"Pleased with what we were able to produce, but I've spoken to the players about the little details, especially against teams like Arsenal.
"They found two moments of quality and we just missed a couple of ours."
Arsenal v Wolves: Sutton's predictionspublished at 11:15 17 August
11:15 17 August
A new season, and a new challenge for BBC Sport's prediction expert Chris Sutton.
Sutton faced off against a guest for each of the 38 game weeks in 2023-24 and triumphed 21-10 (with seven draws) to secure his second predictions title in a row.
In the first week of the new season, his opponent is The Courteeners frontman Liam Fray.
The pair have both given their prediction for Arsenal v Wolves on Saturday.
Sutton's prediction: 2-0
Many people are tipping Arsenal to win the Premier League and in some ways I understand why, but their title hopes really come down to what Manchester City do, and if they dip or not.
Mikel Arteta's side can not do much more than last season, when they took the title race to the final day, but they really need to start well. I think they will.
Wolves were another team who faded badly in the final few weeks of last season but their manager, Gary O'Neil, still exceeded expectations after taking charge only days before it started.
He has got some work to do on his squad because they still need to replace Pedro Neto and Max Kilman, who both left in the summer, and this is a tough game for them to kick off with.
Liam's prediction: 2-1
A few people seem to think it is going to be Arsenal's year this year, but I can never see past Manchester City.
Like City, Arsenal might be missing a few players who are just back in training after the Euros but they should win this one.
Earlier, we asked you who has made the most Premier League appearances for Wolves.
And the answer is Ruben Neves, star of the Championship title-winning side and then racking up 177 games in England's top flight before leaving in 2023.
He scored 21 league goals and made nine assists in five Premier League seasons at Molineux.
O'Neil on Cunha fitness, replacing key players and Arsenalpublished at 13:57 16 August
13:57 16 August
Martin Dougan BBC Sport journalist
Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Arsenal (kick-off 15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
On being ready for the new season: "We've had a really good pre-season, the boys are in very good spirits with an understanding of what we are trying to do. Matheus Cunha is back fit so he's back with the group. Nelson [Semedo] is missing, obviously with his red card of the last game of last season. We are in a good spot and ready to go to give a good account of ourselves."
On Cunha's fitness: "He's fine and raring to go. He's worked really hard to get back as quickly as he has. He's feeling very, very good. He's had a good week of work, he's trained every day on the grass. I have no concerns around him and it's a big boost for us."
O'Neil spoke about the new four-year contract he signed last week: "The new contract and the commitment to the club was a no-brainer for me. I love being here and I've loved every moment of my year here. I'm looking forward to doing the best I can with everything that we have here."
Speaking about Wolves' summer transfer business, O'Neil said: "We knew fairly early that Max [Kilman] and Pedro [Neto] would leave in this window. We've worked really hard in identifying what happens from there, and that's currently being worked on. As far as I'm aware, things are still moving forward, we are doing our best to enhance what we already have."
He continued: "My focus is solely on the players that I have, building and working my socks off to get the most out of them and give them the best opportunity to show what they are. I have identified targets I think can help us and hopefully we can get deals done before the end of the window."
On playing probable title contenders Arsenal in their first match of the season: "They're a good side, they've had a good pre-season. They look equally as good, if not better than last year. These early fixtures can be misleading but it's a tough fixture nevertheless."
He added: "You go to the Emirates, you know what to expect, it's going to be full throttle, they're going to be in your face, they're going to be desperate to go one step further than they did last season. They start with a home game for them that will be very important but from our side, I'm really looking forward to seeing what we can do, what problems we can cause them and how well we can cope with the issues they'll impose on us."
Our reporter asked... you answeredpublished at 10:52 16 August
10:52 16 August
Our football news reporter Nick Mashiter says "there will be hope Wolves can keep the pace in the race for Europe this time", so we asked you to have your say on if it was a possibility this season.
Here are some of your comments:
Nathan: Always optimistic but Europe will be a stretch too far this season. Lots of new faces and losing Kilman and Neto will take its toll initially. Keep the squad fit, keep going under Gary O'Neil and next season we could be looking up the table again.
Tom: A top-half finish and a push for Europe should be the aim. We have a great manager and a talented squad of players. Gary brings a feeling to the club not seen since the days of Nuno. Out of darkness cometh light - let's believe and be positive for a great season to come.
Rob: No, I don't think Europe is realistic sadly. I think we need several windows of adding to the squad before we have the depth we need. We still seem light in defence, especially left-back where a lot rests on Ait-Nouri. We over burdened several players last season and we all know how that worked out.
Dan: Wolves are flying under the radar at the moment. They have a good squad and good manager. If they keep all key players, like Cunha, fit then European football is an optimistic but realistic target.
Image source, Getty Images
