Carl Ikeme spent his entire career on the books of Wolves between 2003 and 2018, becoming a fan favourite.
The now retired goalkeeper did have nine loan spells during this spell at the club; however, his love for Wolves was undeniable.
Ikeme is a huge fan of the changes that Vitor Pereira brought to the club following the removal of Gary O’Neil as manager of Wolves.
While he may be open to change for the benefit of the club he has a strong affection for, there is one change to the sport of football he is happy that he never had to contend with during his career.
Ikeme retired from football in 2018, bringing to a close 15 years at Molineux, which saw him achieve some incredible moments with the club, including winning the 2009 Championship title.
However, he feels great moments in matches throughout his career would have been ruined by VAR, and he is thankful he never had to give it a second thought in his career.
The introduction of VAR to the Premier League did not occur until the 2019/20 season, two seasons after Ikeme retired from football.
Former Wolverhampton Wanderers Goalkeeper Carl Ikeme Visits Compton To Participate In Training
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
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Speaking to the club website, he said: “I think the fact that when you’re celebrating a goal and you don’t know when it’s in or not, it’s just a bit frustrating.
“You’ve now got teams and fans celebrating decisions rather than moments, and I think that’s something that I wouldn’t want to be a part of.”
Controversial VAR moments experienced by Wolves
Every Premier League club has experienced controversial moments with VAR; however, Wolves seemed to be in a number of them in the 2023/24 season.
In the opening month of the season in an away match against Manchester United, Wolves were not awarded a penalty despite Andre Onana clattering into Sasa Kalajdzic, with VAR not even consulted.
VAR was also the centre of attention later in the season as Wolves drew with Newcastle United.
A penalty was awarded against Hwang Hee-Chan; with the forward attempting to make a clearance, he delayed before striking the ball. As he went to kick it, he was judged to have fouled Fabian Schar, which prompted a VAR review.
Upon reviewing the replays, it was clear that the South Korean international made little to no contact with the defender with his foot instead hitting the ground, but officials did not change their decision.