Wolves’ start to the Premier League season has been disappointing, to say the least. Vitor Pereira’s side sit rock-bottom of the table after 10 games and suffered another defeat, 3-0 to Fulham on Saturday.
With no wins, seven goals scored and 22 conceded, Wolves look destined for the drop at the end of the campaign, and their decision to hand Pereira a new three-year contract in September appears far too premature.
The Portuguese tactician has not tasted victory in his last 14 league games at Molineux and has struggled to ignite any spark in his Wolves squad this term, with new signings failing to impress at both ends of the pitch.
To no surprise, the foundations for Wolves’ dismal campaign were laid during the summer. The club failed to replace Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri, who departed for the two Manchester sides, and appeared out of sync with Pereira’s vision for the squad.
The Molineux hierarchy also seem to have missed a clear opportunity to cash in on a player Pereira no longer sees in the starting line-up.
Joao Gomes Benched vs Fulham
Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Joao Gomes applauding the supporters
Wolves’ 3-0 defeat at Fulham saw Pereira opt for a midfield trio of Marshall Munetsi, Ladislav Krejci and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, with Joao Gomes once again starting on the bench in a 'surprise' move by Pereira.
Although the Brazilian was introduced at half-time, it marked the second successive Premier League match in which Pereira had left him out of the starting line-up, having also used him as a substitute in the 3-2 defeat to Burnley last week.
When asked about his decision to bench Gomes for the clash at Molineux, Pereira explained that Bellegarde had trained better in the build-up,though he did hand the midfielder a start in the 4-3 Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea in midweek.
Considering Gomes is no longer a regular starter, Wolves’ decision to keep him at Molineux may now look like a missed opportunity from earlier this year.
The £130,000-a-week midfielder was the subject of interest from several Premier League clubs in April, before Wolves tied him to a new long-term contract until the summer of 2030, ending speculation over his future for the time being.
Gomes joined the Molineux side from Brazilian club Flamengo in January 2023 and has amassed 102 appearances for Wolves to date, scoring seven goals and providing four assists.