Wolves slipped to another defeat in pre-season on Saturday, losing their final match against Celta Vigo at Molineux.
Wolves now head into the new Premier League season without a single win in pre-season.
Pablo Duran scored the only goal of the game for Celta, as Wolves struggled to show cohesion and fluidity in their final friendly, just seven days before the visit of Manchester City in the Premier League.
It was a performance that hammered home the reality that Wolves need three or four more new players before the window closes.
A new right wing-back is essential, with Wolves fans criticising Ki-Jana Hoever against Celta Vigo.
David Moller Wolfe looked decent on his 45 minutes, and the hope is that he’ll prove to be a good successor to Rayan Ait-Nouri.
But right now, club legend Mel Eves is concerned about those wing-back roles.
Mel Eves speaks for many Wolves fans as he shares wing-backs concern
Vitor Pereira gives instructions to his Wolves players.
Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Wolves are heading into the new season ready to use their tried and tested 3-4-3 system once more.
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It’s a formation that is synonymous with Wolves and is seemingly part of the club’s DNA at this point.
The role of the wing-backs in this system is huge, and Nelson Semedo and Ait-Nouri both had a very good understanding of the role.
But at the moment, Molineux legend Mel Eves – who made over 200 appearances for the club – is concerned about these two positions.
He said on Always Wolves Fan TV (Dazzling Dave) YouTube channel: “The problem is, playing the way we do, 3-4-3, you’ve got your middle two there, Agbadou, Toti and Matt – they seem pretty solid. Your ‘keeper seems solid. Wing-backs worry me at the moment.
“The wing-backs are the key, when you’re playing that system. We had some great wing-backs from when Nuno came in and played that system. That set us off.
“But the key was the wing-backs. You’ve got to replace two which I call top, top drawer wing-backs in Semedo and Ait-Nouri.
“That concerns me. That’s a big concern. And then are we going to get enough goals from the front three as well? But first of all, you’ve got to have people who are going to help make them in the first place. Assists.”
Semedo and Ait-Nouri are major losses for Wolves
Eves is right – the wing-backs are such important roles in this Wolves system, and many will share his current concerns.
Semedo and Ait-Nouri did have their critics for various aspects of their games.
But by and large they were very dependable, and we will now see just how important they were to the team.
Ait-Nouri was a fantastic source of creativity on that left side, and Semedo was mostly a very consistent performer on the right, who improved a lot defensively over the past couple of years.
Their exits are surely going to be felt a lot, although hopes are high over Moller Wolfe.
But confidence has been fading in Hoever over the last couple of weeks, and at this point it’s hard to argue against Wolves making a new right wing-back an absolute priority.
Wolves hold an interest in Nicolo Savona of Juventus at the moment, and after yesterday, many fans will be hopeful about seeing the Italian head to Molineux.