Pre-season has officially begun for Wolves, and the squad have taken to Portugal for 10 days to prepare the players.
A number of youngsters have joined the squad in the Algarve to prepare for the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Vitor Pereira will look to build on the good period Wolves experienced under his tenure, with European qualification a possibility going off the form after his appointment last season.
Toti Gomes has spoken about his new role with Wolves since arriving in his hometown in Portugal, as he is one of the leaders within the group.
Pre-season is essential to get the players into shape for the upcoming campaign, and Wolves legend Dave Edwards spoke about the one he remembers most under Mick McCarthy.
Dave Edwards spoke of the trick Wolves staff used to get them fit for their Premier League return
Wolves were set to make a Premier League return in 2009 following five seasons in the Championship, claiming the title to earn promotion.
Ahead of the upcoming Premier League campaign, Mick McCarthy would choose to alter a few of the preparations Wolves and their players did over the previous pre-seasons under him.
Dave Edwards spoke with Wolves Express about the changes, with the first being the decision to go to Australia rather than Ireland or Scotland.
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He said: “Mick thought for us going into the Premier League, for us to survive, one of the things we had to be was the fittest team possible, and I’ve never had 10 days like it in my life.
“Tony Daly took his pre-seasons to a new level.
“We’d be put into three different groups; two of the teams would be playing against each other, attack versus defence.
“The team who weren’t doing this were doing 800 m runs around the outfield at the WACA, which Daly had measured out.
“We had to do five circuits of this; it was an absolute killer.
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“We were adamant, as it was so hard to get it done in three minutes and 30 seconds; we were adamant it [distance] wasn’t right.
“Can’t remember who it was; must have been one of the strikers, as they hated running, but they got this wheel out and measured out the outside of the WACA.
“Turns out it was 430m, which means we were doing 60m more, and we didn’t find out till the last day.”
The 2009/10 return to the Premier League of Wolves
Wolves would achieve their primary aim of maintaining their newly acquired Premier League status.
Mick McCarthy would guide the club to a 15th-place finish in the Premier League that season, eight points clear of the relegation zone.
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Survival was confirmed with two games to spare, marking the first time they had avoided relegation from the highest level since 1980–81.
Although they finished as the division’s lowest goal scorers (with 32), a strong defensive resolve meant they had conceded the least of the bottom 8 (56), creating the formula for their survival.