Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered a costly defeat to Sunderlandplaceholder image
Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered a costly defeat to Sunderland | Getty Images
Wolves’ horrific start to the season continued against Sunderland
Former Wolves midfielder Jamie O’Hara believes his old club’s chances of surviving in the Premier League are practically over after last weekend’s 2-0 defeat to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.
Many viewed last Saturday’s match as a must-win encounter, and it’s fair to say that the pressure is rising to an uncomfortable level for Vitor Pereira ahead of his side’s game against 17th placed Burnley at the weekend.
Jamie O’Hara criticises Wolves for constantly making the same mistake
Jamie O’Hara told talkSPORT that he can’t see Wolves surviving after their terrible start. He feels the team have been clinging on to Premier League status for a number of seasons but now feels the right is on the wall after a yet another summer of high profile departures.
Top scorer Matheus Cunha completed a £62.5m move to Manchester United after his sensational 15-goal season while Rayan Ait-Nouri departed for just £31m.
"He (Pereira) ended the (2024/25) season unbelievable, now they've had an absolute stinker,” said O’Hara. “Eight games in, not one win, two points, that's terrible," Jason Cundy added. "That is terrible. They're in a relegation dogfight."
O'Hara explained: "They're going down. I think Wolves are going down. I think they've clung on and clung on and clung on. And this season, I think, no, you sold your players again. I think you're done."
What’s gone wrong at Wolves?
Wolves have sold a number of their valuable assets in almost every transfer window for the last five years. The likes of Ruben Neves, Adama Traore, Raul Jimenez, Max Kilman, Nathan Collins, Mathues Nunes and more recently Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Nelson Semedo are all examples of players that’d quite likely feature heavily at the football club if they were still on the books.
The Old Gold have not invested sufficiently in quality replacements and now find themselves with a squad that’s lacking in creativity in the final third of the pitch.
Intriguingly, Wolves made a real statement of trust in Pereira by handing the former Porto boss a new contract just a few weeks ago, but now the Portuguese coach finds himself under great pressure to pick up a win against Burnley in a pivotal clash at the weekend.
Crucially, the club will need more from star striker Jorgen Strand Larsen - one big name they did manage to retain amid interest from Newcastle United. The Norwegian scored twice against West Ham in the Carabao Cup but hasn’t yet managed a single league goal this term after scoring 14 last season after joining from Celta Vigo.
Continue Reading