Wolves are preparing for their first pre-season under Julen Lopetegui, safe in the knowledge he will be leading them into the new campaign after he confirmed his commitment last week. That’s great news after Lopetegui showed last season why Wolves were so keen to bring him in, taking over in November with the team bottom of the table and leading them to safety with three games to spare.
So, the next task is trying to build on last season’s 13th placed finish despite Financial Fair Play restrictions which mean the club will have to make more from sales than they spend this summer. Here’s how they will prepare
Starting back
Wolves will begin their preparations for their sixth successive season in the Premier League when the players report back for pre-season training at the start of July. They will report back to their Compton training ground but will soon depart for a warm-weather training camp in Portugal in that first week of the month. That camp may have training games but they won’t be public matches.
Although the bulk of the squad report back in the next fortnight, the players currently on international duty will report back later so they get a proper chance to rest. Every player will have their own individual programme depending on their workload.
That is being followed by a trip to South Korea, the first time in their history the club will have visited the country. The tour will feature two games at World Cup 2002 venues, taking on Celtic in the Suwon World Cup stadium on July 26 before facing AS Roma in the Incheon Asiad Stadium on July 29.
South Korea
The trip is the club’s first to Asia since 2019 when they took part in the Premier League Asia Trophy in China alongside West Ham, Newcastle and Manchester City – and won the competition by beating City on penalties in the final in Shanghai after a 4-0 win over Newcastle in the semi-finals.
Wolves have a connection with South Korea having signed forward signed Hee chan Hwang from RB Leipzig in January 2022.
That was something the club was very much aware of when they announced the tour back in May. Russell Jones, Wolves’ general manager of marketing and commercial growth, said: “South Korea is a key market for us and there has been significant fan growth there since the arrival of Hee Chan Hwang in 2021, with a big spike in interest in Wolves from the public, media and football fans alike.
“Over the last two years we have introduced local language social media channels and retail lines to support the new interest in South Korea, and we are really looking forward to meeting and engaging with our Asian fans in person this summer and learning and celebrating Korean culture.”
Other friendlies
The club has confirmed it will be holding a third pre-season friendly, on Saturday August 5, when Stade Rennes FC will be the visitors to Molineux. That’s a 1pm kick off with ticket details to be revealed. Rennes finished fifth in the French top flight last season and so have qualified for the Europa League.
The Premier League action begins
Wolves will begin their Premier League season on Monday August 8 when they take on Manchester United at Old Trafford (8pm). That’s part of a tough set of opening fixtures for Julen Lopetegui’s side who are then at home to Brighton and away to Everton and Crystal Palace before the season pauses in mid-September for the first international break.
New look squad
It’s hard to predict at the moment how the squad will look when Wolves kick off at Manchester United but we know Diego Costa and Joao Moutinho won’t be part of things after they left at the end of their contracts this summer. Adama Traore is also a free agent but the club haven’t given up hope of hanging on to him.
Captain Ruben Neves is expected to move on and complete a £47m move to Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal, a move that will help Wolves balance their books as they comply with Financial Fair Play restrictions this summer.
We are also waiting to see how the futures will be resolved of players who spent last season on loan. They include former captain Conor Coady, who was at Everton, striker Fabio Silva, who was at Anderlecht and PSV Eindhoven, and winger Goncalo Guedes, at Benfica since January.
They will also have to make a decision about Ryan Giles, the 23-year-old left sided defender who was a regular on loan at Middlesbrough last season, helping them make the Championship play-offs. There will be no lack of interest in him if Wolves decide to sell or loan him out again. Alternatively, the home grown defender could be given the chance to compete in the first team having proved himself in the Championship.
New signings
We are still waiting for them but that’s no surprise considering the club needs to bring in money before they commit to signings because of Financial Fair Play restrictions.
Sporting director Matt Hobbs explained the situation in an interview with the club last week, saying: ““I’ve spoken to a lot of sporting directors at clubs and it’s going to be a slow start to the window for clubs at our level. We’re not the only club working within FFP limitations, and there will be a lot in the Premier League looking at this summer’s transfer window in a different way.
“Generally, the likelihood is that players will leave before we can bring new faces in. The reality is the season has only recently finished, players are away on international duty, and deals will start to happen after clubs start to return for pre-season.
“When it’s such a long race, the summer window, it’s a lot of posturing – waiting for your moment, and with every player you want to sign, there’ll always be a moment. It won’t be like the winter, where we go for six and get all six, because the summer is different because more clubs are spending money. We feel we’re in a good position for a number that we like, but obviously we have to make sure the finances balance out. What’s still a big pull for people is Julen. Players want to come and play for this manager.”