Fosun will be watching Wolves’ final game of the season against Brentford extremely closely.
A win over Crystal Palace in the penultimate game of the 2024/25 campaign would’ve given the Old Gold the opportunity to finish 13th.
Instead, Vitor Pereira’s side suffered a 4-2 defeat to Palace at Selhurst Park, meaning that Wolves could now finish as low as 17th, depending on other results.
Given that Wolves were 19th and five points from safety when Pereira arrived, anything aside from finishing away from the bottom three could be considered a bonus, but the boss is striving for more.
Matt Doherty wanted Wolves to finish the season on a high, but with three consecutive defeats, the Old Gold are at risk of letting history repeat itself.
With Brentford arriving at Molineux in the final game of the campaign, the stakes are far higher than just ending the 2024/25 calendar positively.
Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Brentford game set to be a seven-figure match for Wolves
Remaining in the Premier League was Wolves’ first task after a disastrous start under Gary O’Neil, but there’s so much more to play for.
It’s not just silverware, Europe and relegation in the Premier League, with each position representing a different financial reward.
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To get the lowdown on what Wolves’ defeat to Crystal Palace meant for the club economically, Molineux News spoke to finance expert Adam Williams.
Williams, who is Head of Football Finance and Governance Content at TBR, broke down the difference between Wolves finishing 13th and 17th in the Premier League table.
“Last season, each position in the Premier League was worth about £3.1m. We’ve seen a little increase in the value of the international TV rights in 2024-25, so I’d expect that to maybe be £3.3m.
“So, the difference between finishing 17th and 13th might seem immaterial as survival or European football isn’t on the line, but it does impact the bottom line.
“If Wolves had been able to finish 13th, they’d probably have earned in the region of £130m in total from the Premier League. If they end up finishing 17th, it will be closer to £115m.
“There might be some variance in those figures based on how many times Wolves have been on TV, which you earn money for. But broadly, you can see the importance of each league position financially.
“You do have to offset that somewhat by performance-related bonuses paid to players and staff. Most contracts will have clauses stipulating that the player will get X amount for each position in the league.
“However, at the lower end of the table, those bonuses aren’t likely to eat into Wolves’ wage bill sufficiently to significantly impact the net benefit.”
As Wolves’ final position in the table depends on the result of the final game of the season, Williams explained what the clash with Brentford could now represent for the club.
“For Wolves, that means that the final match of the season is a £12m game. PSR isn’t really an issue for them anymore, but the owners seem reluctant to put money into the club to fund transfer spending, so an extra £12m could have a big impact on their summer plans.”
Wolves need to win with Fosun’s reluctance to invest in mind
The finance expert is correct, Wolves cannot rely on their owners to sufficiently invest to allow Pereira to bolster his squad over the summer transfer window.
Such raises the importance of the last game of the season, in what is a £12m blockbuster for Wolves and an even bigger prize for Brentford, who could still qualify for Europe.
Date Score Result Competition
27/12/2023 1-4 W Premier League
05/01/2024 1-1 D Premier League
16/01/2024 3-2 W FA Cup
10/02/2024 0-2 L FA Cup
05/10/2024 5-3 L Premier League
Wolves’ previous five results against Brentford in all competitions.
With the chance to give Pereira some extra tools to spend in the summer transfer window, there’s so much more than merely three points and a mood-boosting result on the line.
Pereira has already sent a transfer warning to Fosun ahead of the upcoming market, making it abundantly clear that he needs the club to come together to replenish the squad.
Three points against Brentford could be the difference between Wolves landing a seven-figure boost to mark the 2024/25 campaign, upping the importance by millions.