Wolverhampton Wanderers fans will be hoping their team can put together a top run of form to move away from the relegation spots soon, with their performance levels somewhat topsy-turvy of late.
The recent 4-2 defeat to the Cherries in the Premier League was understandably a major blow to their confidence, especially after downing Fulham 4-1 on the road just before this dire performance, but Gary O'Neil's men managed to somehow play even worse than this loss to Bournemouth when folding 4-0 to Everton last time out.
gary o'neil
He will just be praying that his team can push out of the relegation spots soon or he will inevitably be facing the sack, with the pressure on his back extreme now ahead of West Ham United up next.
January could come at the best possible time for O'Neil if he does stick it out at Molineux, with the transfer window giving him time to add some fresh faces into the group, after the Old Gold have suffered from some terrible windows in the past.
Wolves' disastrous 2023 window
The window before the 2023/24 season got underway was nothing short of a car crash for the Old Gold, as a number of important first-team personnel jumped ship.
ruben-neves-wolves-premier-league
Whilst Pedro Neto and Max Kilman leaving this summer were obviously damaging to morale, Wolves would end up losing large chunks of their quality in the form of Matheus Nunes, Ruben Neves, Nathan Collins and Raul Jimenez all in a short space of time last year.
O'Neil should be commended for the job he did last season, therefore, in steering the depleted side to a respectable 13th position in the Premier League, considering how much of a rebuild was required.
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Where are they now
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.
There's a name that hasn't even been listed yet from this mass exodus that has also very much hurt the West Midlands outfit when he departed the building, with this former star on the books at Molineux for a number of seasons before exiting for pastures new.
Adama Traore's form since leaving Wolves
Wolves would have begrudgingly allowed Adama Traore to move on last year, with the explosive attacker joining Fulham on a free transfer deal, having allowed his contract to run down.
After all, Traore was a long-standing servant of the West Midlands club before walking away for Craven Cottage, amassing 14 goals and 18 assists across 194 appearances.
Leeds' Darko Gyabi battles with Adama Traore
Wolves' loss is ultimately Fulham's gain, however, with the slick 5 foot 10 ace impressing those in West London this season to date.
After an injury-derailed first campaign for Marco Silva's men saw Traore be fit for just 17 top-flight clashes, the Spanish forward is now already onto 13 league games for this season, with one goal and three assists coming his way as a full-throttle force.
Adama-Traore
His reputation as a direct and rampaging forward has even seen comparisons be drawn between his performances and those of AC Milan star Rafael Leao, as per FBref. That is noteworthy considering that the former Lille man was boldly given a £150m price tag above his head this summer after starring for the Rossoneri.
The Portuguese winger only has three more goal contributions than Traore in Serie A too this season - as Arsenal allegedly watch on to try and tempt him to the Emirates Stadium soon - with Wolves left to wonder what the 28-year-old could offer now if he was still on their books to complement the likes of Jorgen Strand Larsen and Matheus Cunha firing in goals for fun.
Traore's numbers vs Leao's over the last year - FBRef
Stat - per 90 mins
Total shots
Shot-creating actions
Progressive passes
Progressive carries
Successful take-ons
Touches in attacking penalty area
Progressive passes received
Stats by FBref
The real kicker for O'Neil's relegation-threatened troops is the fact Traore - who was described as a "monster" by Scotland star, Che Adams - exited for nothing, especially when you see his similarities to the likes of Leao in the table above, who is worth a mammoth amount in contrast.
Still, Wolves' focus - away from their former Spaniard excelling elsewhere - will be purely focused on staying up in the Premier League, with some crunch months left to come.
Mosquera-Hwang-Cunha-Wolves Related
[Wolves must regret selling a "superstar" who's now even better than Cunha](https://www.footballfancast.com/wolves-must-regret-selling-pedro-goncalves-better-than-matheus-cunha/ "Wolves must regret selling a "superstar" who's now even better than Cunha")
Wolverhampton Wanderers have been left to curse offloading this star.