Wolverhampton Wanderers are now winless across their previous six matches, failing to secure victory in a Premier League game since 9 March against Fulham.
This run of form has derailed their chances of securing a top-half finish in the Premier League, yet it shouldn’t detract from how solid a job Gary O’Neil has done in his maiden year at Molineux.
Recent weeks have seen the Old Gold hit with various injuries which have caused plenty of disruption. O’Neil was missing Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee-Chan for a while there before both returned to action. Craig Dawson is another key player who could miss the rest of the campaign, having shone at the heart of the defence.
It is perhaps the injury suffered by Pedro Neto which could prove to be the most detrimental to where they eventually end up in the top flight, especially as he was impressive during long spells this season.
Pedro Neto’s statistics for Wolves in 2023/24
The 2022/23 campaign was one to forget for the former Lazio winger. In October, he suffered a serious ankle injury which not only kept him out for 20 matches but also the 2022 World Cup, as he had a decent chance of securing a place in the Portugal squad for the tournament.
This meant he played just 21 matches, scoring only once in the process, and it looked like a solid pre-season was vital if he was to fulfil his potential.
Goals
2
Assists
9
Big chances created
7
Key passes per game
2
Successful dribbles per game
1.9
Via Sofascore
It clearly worked, as during the first ten matches of the Premier League, Neto registered seven assists while finding the back of the net once as the Old Gold enjoyed a decent enough start to life under O’Neil.
He did miss nine games through a hamstring injury but returned to score once and grab two assists in the next nine games, with all these goal contributions coming against Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
The winger was subbed off at half-time against Newcastle last month with a hamstring injury and hasn’t featured since, with his season potentially over.
It is perhaps no coincidence that Wolves have failed to win since then, missing Neto’s creativity and the volume of chances he creates for others.
Indeed, among his teammates, the Portuguese gem currently ranks first for assists (nine) in the Premier League, while also ranking second for shots per game (1.8), third for big chances created (seven) and first for key passes per match (2), showcasing his skills to wonderful effect.
Pedro Neto’s market value in 2024
Although Neto has been impressive, injuries have had a catastrophic impact on his market which now stands at just £18.5m, as per Football Transfers. That said, once back fit again that valuation should increase astronomically in the coming months.
O’Neil could certainly cash in on the winger during the summer and make a wonderful profit, however which could bolster his playing squad.
Despite this decent valuation, Wolves sold a player back in 2001 for a fee which, adjusted for inflation, is currently nearly £10m more than what Neto is worth at the time of writing; Robbie Keane.
Robbie Keane’s market value in 2024 money
The Irishman began his senior career at Wolves, going on to score 25 goals in 77 matches for the Midlands side between 1997 and 1999, emerging as one of their finest talents in the process.
It was clear the striker had a wonderful future ahead of him, but they didn’t expect Coventry to table an offer of £8.1m to secure his signature during the summer of 1999.
This was a decent transfer fee in the late 1990s, never mind today, for a young player who had yet to experience the Premier League, but it appeared as though Wolves struck gold by selling Keane.
In 2024 – with Totally Money adjusted for inflation over the years – the £8.1m transfer fee that Wolves received from the Sky Blues in 1999 would now be worth a staggering £27.9m.
Totally Money have taken the 100 most expensive transfers of all time across each season since 1992 in Europe's top five leagues. Armed with plenty of historical financial data they have calculated what footballers of yesteryear would be worth in the present day after taking into account the remarkable rate of inflation.
This fee is just under £10m more than what Neto is currently valued at in 2024. Considering his impact for the Molineux outfit this term, it proves that the club were doing excellent business in the transfer market 25 years ago.
What Robbie Keane did after leaving Wolves
His spell at the Sky Blues lasted just a single season before the glitz and glamour of Milan came calling. Inter Milan signed him ahead of the 2000/01 campaign, but he scored only three goals for the club before returning to England, this time signing for Leeds United.
This spell saw him mature as a player, netting 18 goals in 18 months before Spurs came calling, and it would become a move which turned him from a talented hitman into a Premier League icon.
Indeed, following a nine-year spell at the north Londoners, plus a couple of seasons with West Ham United and Aston Villa, Keane moved to the MLS. In the Premier League, the striker had scored 126 goals during his career, which is good enough to rank him 17th among the all-time scorers since its inception in 1992.
The top 10 all-time Premier League goalscorers
FFC takes a look at the PL’s most prolific goalscorers.
