Wolverhampton Wanderers

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Gary O'Neil spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Wolves' defeat to Newcastle: "It is the Premier League and it can happen. We have got some tough games against teams who are going to finish high up the league and unfortunately they can kill you with moments. I asked the group to give everything and that was pretty close to everything today. We made an error for the second goal which was the only disappointment for me. Harvey Barnes was allowed to come inside which shouldn't have happened. Losing Nelson Semedo to cramp was bad and he is important for us so we need to make sure he is alright."

On Andre's first start: "Very good, he's a good player obviously. New system today with the three midfielders in. An awful lot of positives. Of course the only positives that people are interested in is points. From my point of view, to have come up with a new structure for the team and for it to look how it did against Newcastle was a big plus for us.

On the performance: "Looking forward to what we can do. Tough run coming up, one of the toughest starts fixture wise. If we play like that every week then we will be absolutely fine. If we maintain our level, that sort of performance will pick up a lot of points this season. Keep pushing."

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Wolves midfielder Andre completed all 40 of his passes today against Newcastle, the most on record by a player on their first ever Premier League start without misplacing one (since 2003-04).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Wolves’ performance, external

What did you make of Newcastle’s display?, external

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Read the match report and follow reaction

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Gary O'Neil has painted Wolves as underdogs again this season.

The closure of the transfer window has clearly left the manager in a better mood and he is noticeably brighter now he knows what he has to work with for the next four months.

He underlined a siege mentality when speaking ahead of facing Newcastle, with games against Aston Villa, Liverpool, Brentford and Manchester City to follow.

"Not many people outside of here expect us to take many points but that is not our expectation," he said at Compton on Friday.

It is easy to see why but at Molineux last season Wolves beat Chelsea, Tottenham and City while drew with Newcastle and Villa as well as running Liverpool and Manchester United close.

Their expected goals (XG) was higher than Chelsea's in the chaotic 6-2 home defeat to the Blues last month and they will remain a threat, especially at home.

Yet, failure to take at least a point against the Magpies will result in Wolves' worst start to a season since returning to the Premier League in 2018.

That would bring mild cause for concern but O'Neil has been here before, when Wolves were written off when he replaced the unhappy Julen Lopetegui just days before the start of last season.

It still feels too early to worry about Wolves' prospects. The squad needs time to settle after what was a turbulent summer with the loss of Pedro Neto and Max Kilman, near transfer misses and deadline day arrivals of Sam Johnstone and Andre.

O'Neil got it right last season in difficult circumstances and he is in tune with what is needed again.

There are two Premier League games on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you all the action and reaction throughout the day.

All times BST

BBC Radio 5 Live match commentary on both games on BBC Sounds

• Wolves v Newcastle - BBC Radio WM from 16:30 BST

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week four, he takes on Femi Koleoso and Ife Ogunjobi from jazz band Ezra Collective, the 2023 Mercury Music Prize winners.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Newcastle are unbeaten in the Premier League so far but their performances have not been there and they have got away with it a little bit up until now.

Wolves, in contrast, are yet to win. They made lots of mistakes when they got hammered 6-2 by Chelsea, but created plenty of chances themselves too.

Is it going to click for Newcastle this time, or will Wolves get it together? You could make a case for both teams and, whoever wins, it would not surprise me.

The safe bet would be a draw here, and you can guarantee that is the result the public will vote for above, but only spineless people would go for that ...

Koleoso's prediction: 1-1

These are both tricky teams to predict. Newcastle don't look good at all, and Wolves kind of gave up against Chelsea.

Ogunjobi prediction: 2-1

Wolves looked good against Chelsea in the first half, then fell apart. I reckon they will take this one.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Jose Sa could leave Wolves after losing his place to Sam Johnstone, boss Gary O'Neil admits.

The 31-year-old was dropped after Johnstone's £10m arrival last month.

Johnstone joined on deadline day from Crystal Palace and started in the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest before the international break.

He is expected to play in Sunday's Premier League game against Newcastle at Molineux.

Sa has been number one since joining from Olympiakos in 2021, but O'Neil conceded he could look for first-team football elsewhere.

"I understand Jose won’t want to be number two for too long - especially not at this stage of his career with the quality that he has," he said.

"You see it at other clubs. You can keep two number ones together, but for a short time. After that it becomes difficult - they go off and try to become a number one somewhere again.

"If Jose doesn’t get that here, I’m sure he’ll go and try to get it somewhere else.

"The conversations between me and him have been honest and professional. We’re both understanding of the situation and where we are with it."

Sa has made 118 appearances for Wolves and only signed a new four-year contract, which was due to keep him at Molineux until 2027, 12 months ago.

O’Neil added: "He won’t be happy if he’s not playing and I wouldn’t expect him to be.

"It’s part and parcel - it’s no problem for me. Jose knows what I think of him and what the position is.

"We all have our own decisions to make, but so far, the way he’s trained and worked has been excellent. He knows he needs to be here and needs to fight - but things could change in the future."

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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It has been widely accepted for some time but Wolves boss Gary O'Neil slipped in a telling quote during his pre-Newcastle news conference.

Wolves' finances are known to have been restricted this window, but the manager has given the clearest indication things are changing for, potentially, the foreseeable future.

"The transfer windows now for Wolves are not what they were. [Ruben] Neves, Matheus Cunha, and Mario [Lemina] arrived for big fees. It's different," he said.

"The excitement, for me, is we know where we are now. We have the opportunity to upset what people expect from us this year."

There were frustrations with the limitations during the summer, with O'Neil saying the squad was not where he expected it to be in terms of transfers, but it is clear he will meet the challenge head on.

O'Neil still has credit in the bank from a positive first season and was clearly buoyant at Compton now the window has closed and the distractions are over.

Newcastle, Aston Villa, Brentford and Manchester City await in the Premier League in their next four games but, given O'Neil's track record of producing unexpected results, Wolves should not be written off during a tricky fixture list.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Boss Gary O'Neil admits the days of Wolves spending big are over for now but is relishing the underdog challenge.

The head coach has previously spoken about finances being tight and has suggested that will continue at Molineux.

Wolves still spent over £50m in the summer, including the deadline day additions of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and midfielder Andre, and are committed to making Jorgen Strand Larsen's loan permanent for £22m if he triggers clauses from his loan from Celta Vigo.

They also have an £11.4m option to sign loanee Carlos Forbs from Ajax.

Wolves sold Pedro Neto and Max Kilman to Chelsea and West Ham respectively for a combined £94m but O'Neil conceded the club, who do not have any profit and sustainability concerns, will still need to work with a tight budget.

He said: "The transfer windows now for Wolves are not what they were. [Ruben] Neves, Matheus Cunha, and Mario [Lemina] arrived for big fees. It's different. The excitement for me now is we know where we are now, we have opportunity to upset what people expect from us this year.

"It's what I've done since I started with Bournemouth and with Wolves last year.

"I know there is enough in this group that if we can push and drive we can upset a few and pick up some good results and punch above our weight.

"Not many people outside of Wolves will give us a chance and I always try to give the players enough freedom in games anyway.

"We know at this moment we are going to play a lot of teams who are expected to finish high up the league.

"Our expectation is to show we have got a good side and see what we can achieve."

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game at home to Newcastle (16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Mario [Lemina] and Rayan [Ait-Nouri] "haven't trained much" and there will be "late checks" to see if they are fit to face the Magpies.

• Yerson [Mosquera] had cramp in both calves during the week and did not train fully on Friday but O'Neil confirmed "there's no injury'. The rest of the squad are "OK and in a decent spot".

• O'Neil said "exciting young player" Carlos Forbs - who was signed on an initial season-long loan from Ajax - was introduced to the squad on Friday: "He has bundles of potential. He has good pedigree, has blistering pace and can play on both sides of the pitch."

• On goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, who made his debut last time out against Nottingham Forest: "He's a good, solid guy and good for the group. He did well at Forest with a mature, calm performance. We thought it was important to improve that part of the squad - it could do with more competition."

• O'Neil added on fellow keeper Jose Sa: "Jose will be here I'm sure and fight with Sam for that spot. Two excellent goalkeepers. He has his opportunity to fight for the place, the same as any other position."

• On the challenge posed by Newcastle: "I know Eddie [Howe] well and he's done an excellent job. They have an abundance of quality and they will be a big test. Isak is one of the best number nines in the league."

• O'Neil said his squad now has "much more depth": "It's easier with subs. I want us to be a team that's aggressive with subs and do what's best for the team. I'm excited. I'm pleased the window is done."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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Wolves' have revealed their new "bold, rebellious and fearless" third kit for the 2024-25 season.

Designed by SUDU, the club said, external their hyper violet kit represents Wolves' "fearless attitude and relentless pursuit of victory, both on and off the pitch."

Gary O'Neil's side have picked up just one point so far this season, and host unbeaten Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.

Dave Azzopardi
Fan writer

Last week, we asked the fans for one thing that was not being talked about enough regarding Wolves.

Many of you mentioned the club's ownership, and Dave Azzopardi from Talking Wolves has told us why he thinks this was a common theme.

Find more from Dave Azzopardi at Talking Wolves, external

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Wolves have only won one of their past 13 league games, so Gary O'Neil will be putting pressure on himself because he knows that he can do better.

As a relatively young manager, he is invested in proving that he can do it at the top level. It is also only his second job in the Premier League and there is never a guarantee of getting another shot.

I am sure he is not reading comment sections online; however if he is, then he can see the discontent from fans. But he does not even need to read that because he knows himself that the results have been disappointing.

Their performance this season against Arsenal was perhaps unlucky. O'Neil said he was trying something out that day and it did not work and that is not the end of the world. On another day, Chelsea would not have scored six goals at Molineux either. And yet having that number attached to the club and manager means people will always remember it. It is hard to move on from.

For the fans, though, they have not seen their team win enough games and they will be expecting more. Football is about winning and when you are not, it is harder to maintain a belief in what you are doing.

That goes for players, the manager or fans.

Nedum was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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6-2 is a ghastly result to suffer at any time, especially in the first home game. But beyond the anguish of the second-half defending against Chelsea, there were a few positives to salvage.

Wolves scored twice in the first half and came close to a few more, all the while exchanging fire with high-level opponents.

As Dazzling Dave wrote in his Fan Voice on this page: "It's great to have this free-flowing attack - but at what cost?"

For some, the formation was the problem. An occasional theme of recent years at Molineux has been a desire for a back four, with an assumption this will lead to a more attack-minded team. Instead however, there has been a gradual return to a back three with wing-backs, the base from which promotion and European football were won.

When the teamsheet arrived at Nottingham Forest, some thought that the switch back had happened. Come kick-off, though, Wolves started with a back four, and I now wonder if the formation debate may be a red herring. In part this is because formations are increasingly flexible during games as tactical study grows ever-more sophisticated. The more significant factor in Wolves producing a much more sturdy defensive effort may have been the re-introduction of Craig Dawson.

Wolves’ senior defender had been a substitute for the first two games, with Yerson Mosquera and Toti preferred in central defensive positions. In Nottingham Toti stepped over to left-back, and gave his usual wholehearted effort.

It is not to denigrate the efforts of the two younger players to say that while they bring great energy and maybe offer something more creative to the team, Dawson remains, for now, the club’s best stopper. Wolves looked steadier for his presence.

"If we watched our first three games," said Gary O’Neil that evening, "they’ve been unbelievably entertaining. We’ve come off on the wrong side of a couple of them, but they’ve been entertaining."

We can all get behind the idea of a Wolves team that wants to put on a show, and O’Neil certainly is, adding: "They’re a fantastic group. They have quality, they have heart [and] they have a little bit of craziness.”

That "crazy" energy will serve them well. Footballers like to entertain, and every fan wants to be entertained. Wolves should still strive to do that - but securing the defence must remain the first order of business.

Listen to full commentary of Wolves v Newcastle at 16:30 BST on Sunday on BBC Radio WM

Tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

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Some 61% of the Premier League meetings between Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers have finished as a draw (11 out of 18) - the highest percentage of any fixture to have been played at least 15 times in the competition.

Dazzling Dave
Fan writer

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Wolverhampton Wanderers have long been known for their Portuguese flair, yet the winds of change are bringing a new Brazilian influence to Molineux.

For years, Wolves relied on Portuguese talent, thanks in large part to their connection with agent Jorge Mendes. Recent transfer windows, however, have marked a shift in strategy.

Now, the focus is on weaving Brazilian brilliance into the team. Key signings like Andre and Pedro Lima, joining established players Matheus Cunha and Joao Gomes, indicate that Wolves' recruitment team is seeking talent across broader areas, especially in South America.

Cunha has quickly proven indispensable up front. His adaptability and attacking flair provide Wolves with a significant advantage. Whether leading the line or playing deeper, his agility and ability to score key goals make him central to Wolves' strategy.

Gomes nearly clinched player of the season last term and rival clubs are certainly taking notice. His tenacity in midfield, along with a mix of defensive grit and flair, brings balance to the team.

Andre's arrival further boosts Wolves' midfield strength. Gary O’Neil appears focused on enhancing dominance in this area, potentially offering more protection to the preferred back four.

Andre's performance in Brazil's international game this week was applauded by the country's media as the best on the pitch.

Young prodigy Lima shows immense promise, with raw talent ready for development. Investing in youth like Pedro points to Wolves' foresight, acknowledging the advancing ages of players like Nelson Semedo and Matt Doherty.

After navigating financial constraints, Wolves have actively pursued emerging talents in South American markets, bringing fresh prospects to Wolverhampton.

The Brazilian influence at Wolves shows adaptability and foresight. This key transition is about blending styles, adopting fresh philosophies, and embracing the global talent pool.

As Wolves advance, this Brazilian chapter might just lead them to success.

Find more from Dazzling Dave at Always Wolves, external

The Premier League’s summer transfer window saw clubs spend almost £2bn in all.

Data from Footballtransfers.com, external shows the biggest net spend by a club - that’s all the money spent minus all that came in from sales - was Brighton.

The Seagulls had a net spend of £153.5m.

On the flip side, the club who generated the biggest net summer profit on transfers was Manchester City, who made £115.8m, thanks in large part to the sale of Julian Alvarez.

Wolves had a net profit of £32.9m.

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We asked you to tell us one thing - good or bad - related to Wolves that nobody else is talking about.

Here are some of your replies:

Alex: When Fosun bought Wolves there was an ambition to compete with the best Premier League teams. This seems to be slowly diluting with staying away from relegation being the ambition. I understand the need to be financially self-sufficient, however we are second lowest net spenders. Team aside, Molineux needs investment. When and how?

Steve: We are in an odd situation, and will be until our owners sell us on. We are treading water - not forging forward but continually attempting not to sink. Staying still in the Premier League only serves the owners. Please sell us to owners who want better, to succeed and build profit at the same time. You can't tread water forever.

BG: Under Nuno Espirito Santo, everyone was on the same page. Since he left, good players have gone and not been adequately replaced. The club has gone backwards and Fosun has lost interest.

Lee: No-one seems to be asking where all the money is going. We have had an income of over half a billion (sales, prize money, TV money sponsorship etc) in the past two seasons alone, yet the club is always saying there is no money available for transfers unless we sell more players. So where has that income gone?

John: The Championship beckons, unfortunately. Gary O'Neil is tactically inept and seems unaware of what is happening on the pitch. We got unbelievable lucky last season and I cannot believe he was given a four-year contract.

Dairve: If Wolves' past 20 Premier League games had been from the start of the season, we would be bottom and on course for relegation. We would be looking for a new gaffer about now...

Chris: Rayan Ait-Nouri is way overrated. He cannot defend and his final ball is poor. He makes eye-catching runs and performs a trick or two, but inevitably leaves space in behind. Why he was attracting the big clubs at £60m is beyond me.

There's always so much noise at the start of the season and 2024-25 has been no different.

We've even asked you this week where you think Wolves will finish, based on the start to the season and how the transfer window unfolded.

But now we'd love a bit more detail. When it comes to Wolves, what is the one thing nobody is talking about - good or bad?

Tell us over here, external

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We asked you for your thoughts on Wolves' transfer window, their start to the season and where you believed they would finish.

In our poll, a healthy 55% of you think Gary O'Neil's side will finish between 11th and 17th in the table.

Here are some of the comments you sent our way:

Gareth: Wolves are now a player trading platform interested only in buying players for resale at a profit. They are no longer a football club looking to build a team for success.

Andy: Wolves' owners do not understand the needs of the manager and have let him and the fans down again this transfer window by not sorting out the defence which is worryingly poor and has been for 12 months. Why strengthen an already strong midfield when other areas are in more need?

Berty: Probably similar thoughts to most followers in confusion as to how we have failed to solve the longstanding defence issues. The transfer window seemed to start OK with early moves but yet again Wolves were losing out right to the end. Scratching my head as to how we are in this position now. We have still attracted decent attacking propositions.

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

"Still," said Gary O’Neil, when asked to ruminate once again on the extent of Wolves’ summer transfer business, "we did what we could do, and we signed some good players, but I think we still had the second-lowest net spend in the window. Above Man City, interestingly - maybe we’ll finish above them…"

If O’Neil occasionally sounded disappointed during the transfer window, you could understand why. Any manager would surely like to have a bigger budget available if they could, or at least as big as most of their rivals. Wouldn’t we all?

However, while O’Neil noted last week that his club could not stretch to complete some of the deals he and Matt Hobbs had hoped for, Wolves did make some interesting investments.

Taken individually, all the major deals looks sound. Fan criticisms of Wolves’ summer business have been about what they did not do rather than anything they actually did.

Most clearly, they did not manage to directly replace Maximilian Kilman, whose sale presumably made a number of the new signings possible. But O’Neil has not been left without realistic defensive options. Craig Dawson was only a substitute for the first two games, while Santiago Bueno – a full Uruguay international – has stayed on the bench for all three. Matt Doherty, if required, could also cover.

Barring a terrible crisis, Wolves should not face the same predicament as in the second half of last season, when O’Neil often stood in front of a bench of teenage substitutes, talented but entirely unproven.

"As you see," he said on Saturday, "Tommy Doyle was pushing Joao [Gomes], Andre will come in and push Joao and Mario [Lemina], Guedes is pushing Bellegarde and Channy [Hwang], so it’s different to where we were at the end of last season.”

In the spring, Wolves' squad had quality, but ultimately fell on quantity and their season tailed off. Addressing that issue on a restricted budget - by Premier League standards - without diluting the standard is a delicate task.

It will be a few weeks yet before we have a clearer idea of how well they achieved it.

Tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights