Wolves have nine games left to remain a Premier League team next season. Vitor Pereira has done a good job since coming in but will be focused on getting the side over the line.
Although the Old Gold are just one place above the relegation zone, few are expecting any changes to the league’s bottom three.
And next up for Wolves is an important home tie against Graham Potter’s West Ham. The winner will take a huge step toward securing Premier League survival.
And judging by what Potter had to say about Wolves when he was in charge of Brighton, he’ll want the Hammers at their defensive best in the Midlands.
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Photo by RUI VIEIRA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by RUI VIEIRA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Graham Potter struggled to deal with Wolves when at Brighton
Potter was in charge of the Seagulls for three years between 2019 and 2022, so next week’s game at Molineux won’t be the first time the 49-year-old has faced the Old Gold.
The 2019-20 season saw Wolves, led by then-manager Nuno Espirito Santo, take a point from Potter’s Seagulls after securing a 2-2 draw at the AMEX.
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Wolves’ speed in transition under Nuno Espirito Santo was frightening but they’re just as good under Vitor Pereira
After that game, which saw Diogo Jota net a brace, Potter admitted it was the Old Gold’s speed in transition that caused his side the most problems.
“It’s a hard-earned point that we’re happy with against a good opponent who are 11 matches unbeaten, they make it difficult for you with some very good players. Traore is especially difficult on the transition, when they turn the ball over they are so quick,” he told BBC Sport.
Adama Traore was often criticised for his lack of quality in the final third, but his ability to get the Old Gold up the pitch as quickly as possible was undeniable.
Interestingly, even though Wolves no longer have a player who fits Traore’s physical profile, Pereira’s side is just as effective on the break as Santo’s 2019-20 team was.
A stat graphic comparing Wolves' transitional play in the 2019-20 season under Nuno Espirito Santo and the 2024-25 season under Vitor Pereira.
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Crucially, as Sofascore’s data shows, Pereira’s Wolves team actually average more goals from fastbreaks per game than the side that terrorised Potter’s Brighton in 2019, and finished seventh in the Premier League table.
Yerson Mosquera could add even more
When it comes to unleashing quick break aways, Carlos Forbs is Wolves’ fastest player.
The Portuguese forward is among the quickest players in the Premier League but has barely featured since joining on loan from Ajax.
Here’s how the 21-year-old stacks up against the rest of England’s top-flight:
M. Van de Ven (Spurs) 37.1 km/h
M. Nunes (Man City) 36.7 km/h
C. Forbs (Wolves) 36.6 km/h
B. Mbeumo (Brentford) 36.6 km/h
A. Elanga (Nott’m Forrest) 35.9 km/h
A. Robinson (Fulham) 35.9 km/h
M. Lacroix (Palace) 35.8 km/h
M. Mudryk (Chelsea) 35.8 km/h
Set to return to Amsterdam in the summer, Forbs won’t have the chance to show off his pace next season.
That doesn’t mean the Old Gold don’t have another player capable of improving their effectiveness on the break, though…
Yerson Mosquera – who suffered a season-ending ACL injury last year – clocked the third fastest in the Premier League this term, registering a speed of 35.32km/h.
Mosquera is set to return for the 2025-26 campaign and could prove instrumental in Wolves’ fast-paced transitional phases of play.
Although the young centre-back may not be expected to finish off counter-attacks, his ability to make successful defensive recover runs could allow his teammates to throw caution to the wind and play with more freedom.
The 23-year-old is a natural left-sided centre-back and could be Matt Doherty’s long-term replacement.