Wolverhampton Wanderers

The Premier League season is fast approaching and clubs are continuing their pre-season preparations.

Here's a look at some of the teams in action on a busy Saturday.

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Gary O'Neil has been speaking to Wolves' club media after signing a new four-year contract with the Premier League side.

"I'm really pleased," said the 41-year-old. "Me and Matt [Hobbs, sporting director] started discussing it towards the latter part of last season, but there was a lot of things going on and we thought it was best to keep ploughing on with the important stuff like the team, making sure we were in a good spot, and when the time arrived to discuss it, it was fairly straightforward from my point of view.

"I'm absolutely loving my time here, really enjoying it, my staff love it, my family love it, so it's felt a really special place for us over the past year and I'm looking forward to continuing the journey."

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Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has been described as "very humble" and "maybe the most important member of the team" after it was confirmed that he and his backroom staff have signed new four-year deals which will run until 2028.

O'Neil took charge a few days before the 2023-24 campaign began and led Wolves to a 14th-placed finish in the Premier League, as well as the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Chairman Jeff Shi said: "I think Gary is a key member of the team, maybe even the most important member, so we are very happy to have him here for the long-term.

"The team together - me, Gary, [sporting director] Matt Hobbs and all the staff - we are working very closely to prepare for the new season. Gary is key and we are happy to have a very young, talented, capable and outstanding manager here," Shi continued.

Under O'Neil last term, Wolves secured 17 wins in their 45 games across all competitions, while scoring 50 Premier League goals.

"He works very hard and is very humble," added Shi. "He might be the humblest manager I have ever worked with and one of the most hard-working coaches I've ever met. His strengths are around his tactics and his chemistry with the players."

Wolves will travel to Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal in their first fixture of the new campaign (Saturday, 17 August, 15:00 BST).

We asked for your views on Pedro Neto, who is set to leave Wolves to join Chelsea after the two clubs agreed a fee for the Portugal winger.

Here are some of your comments:

Kieran: That is a key player gone. £54m is good for him though. We need to use this money to buy a new centre-back, a new left-winger and a better number two goalkeeper.

Tony: It's £15-20m below his real value. Wolves don't need to sell but they will because money is more important than the team.

Alex: Mixed emotions on Pedro going. On his day unplayable and will always be loved at Molineux. On the other hand you can't look past the injuries. £54m is slightly above market value. We wish him well, and hope we reinvest in more depth particularly at centre-back.

Beno: Always sad to see your best players go, but can't imagine there's a Wolves fan out there who wouldn't wish Neto well. When he's fit, he's a superstar.

Rob: He electrified the crowd when at his best and will probably get even better over the next few years. So, a loss but not a surprise. We have already bought a few new (hopefully) talented players and will use this extra cash to get a couple more so optimism rules.

Dave: If Neto keeps fit he could be the best bargain Chelsea have ever bought. It's a very big if... I think it is very good business for Wolves and I believe that the players who have been brought in will lessen the impact of Neto's departure.

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

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After several months of speculation that Pedro Neto would be leaving Wolves this summer, it seems his next destination will be Chelsea.

The Blues are in talks to sign the Portugal winger, so what can Chelsea supporters expect from the 24-year-old if he joins?

Well, they witnessed first hand how much of an attacking threat he can be when Wolves won 4-2 at Stamford Bridge in February. Matheus Cunha's hat-trick grabbed the headlines, but Neto's pace and direct running terrified the Chelsea defence that day and he was involved in two of Wolves' four goals.

That sort of performance happened frequently against the Premier League's bigger clubs in 2023-24, as utilising Neto's speed, skill and dribbling ability on the counter attack was a key tactic for Gary O'Neil's team last season.

In his 20 league appearances last term, Neto scored two goals and assisted nine more.

A fee in the region of £54m has been agreed between the clubs and it could - perhaps would - have been more but for his recent injury record.

A serious knee injury in April 2021 kept him out for 10 months. An ankle injury in October 2022 ruled him out of the World Cup and he did not play for five months. He twice missed two months last season while recovering from hamstring problems.

Those issues have limited him to just 51 Premier League appearances for Wolves during the past three seasons.

Being a key man in Wolves' smaller squad meant if he was fit, he played. Enzo Maresca would appear to have more options at Chelsea, which would allow him to rest and rotate his attacking players, so could that approach help Neto stay injury-free?

As for Wolves fans, they probably expected this day to come sooner rather than later and, for most, Neto will depart with their blessings.

After scoring in the FA Cup win against local rivals West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns in January, his place in Wolves' folklore is assured.

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Chelsea have agreed a fee in the region of £54m to sign Portugal winger Pedro Neto from Wolves.

The 24-year-old is scheduled to have a medical before finalising his move to Stamford Bridge.

Wolves fans - are you getting a fair price for one of your star players? And do the club need to sign a replacement, or is there enough in the squad to cope without him?

Send us your thoughts here, external

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Right now, brinkmanship is the name of the game. There have been times when some clubs sorted their transfer business early in the window and everyone wondered why so few others followed their lead. Put simply, it isn't in the selling clubs' financial interest, and it usually isn't in the moving player's financial interest either, to go early.

A selling club wants a bidding war to up the price and they don't mind a bit of panic buying when the window is creaking ever nearer the sill. If you still haven't signed that star player who you think, hope or maybe even actually believe, will make all the difference, clubs can get twitchy and make rash costly decisions.

I have watched it happen from within. Good intentions and a willingness to stick to a pre-arranged budget, suddenly evaporates when clubs are bounced into making these calls. There is also a bit of pride in there too. "We aren't losing out on our first choice to that lot!" is a common refrain, especially when it's to one of your close rivals.

As for the moving player, or more specifically his agent, last-minute brinkmanship is the dream scenario. Playing two or three suitors off against each other (and you don't even have to tell the truth of what you are being offered elsewhere) means you can exaggerate as much as you like to up the ante.

So that is why the deals go to the wire, and why they are so lucrative. It is also why I never have too much sympathy for a player, when a huge deal falls through at the last moment. Greed can push it too far in the end and it can all come crashing down, which is why they call it brinkmanship! If you dance on the edge of a volcano you might just fall in.

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

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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.

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Wolves 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."

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Wolves 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?

Let us know your thoughts on the match here, external

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 FC

Wolves 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

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Wolves 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 Images

Wolves 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 Images

Goals 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