Gary O’Neil is under increased pressure as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Even though the Old Gold won their first game of the season against Southampton last time out, thanks to a goal and assist from star man Matheus Cunha, their manager is still under fire with his side sitting 19th in the Premier League.
They have certainly started worse than people may have thought, including Phil McNulty, BBC Sport’s chief football writer. In his pre-season predictions, he predicted them to finish 15th, explaining he believes “Wolves can avoid danger”. Whilst there is still some way to go this campaign they haven’t made the best start.
A big reason for their struggles this term is their poor defensive record.
Wolves’ defensive stats
Wolves’ biggest weakness this season has undoubtedly been their defensive frailties, and it is a real cause for concern. They have comfortably conceded the most goals in the top flight this term with 27. That is five more than any other side, with Ipswich Town and Brentford the two closest sides who have both conceded 22.
They have conceded five or more goals in a single game twice this season. One of those came against the Bees, losing 5-3 in London.
The other instance was also against a London side, this time Chelsea, who beat them 6-2 at Molineux, in one of the most frustrating performances under O’Neil.
Their home record is certainly a cause for concern. As per Understat, the Old Gold have conceded 14 of the 27 goals at Molineux, three more than any other side. Their expected goals-against tally at home is currently 10.44xGA, with the 3.56 difference between that and the number of goals they have conceded at home the worst in the Premier League.
It is certainly a real issue that the Old Gold have such a leaky defence. As Sir Alex Ferguson famously said, “attack wins you games, defence wins you titles”. Whilst the Midlands club are not attempting to win the Premier League, a more watertight defence would certainly help their survival bid.
With that in mind, they may regret the sale of a former defender who is now worth so much more than what they made for him. That man is Nathan Collins.
Collins' value in 2024
The Irish defender joined Brentford for £23m back in July of 2023. At that time, the Old Gold were managed by Julen Lopetegui, who left around one month later, with O’Neil being drafted in as his replacement.
He only played one season at Molineux before swapping the Midlands for London in 2023. In total, the defender made 31 appearances, including 26 in the Premier League, although never managed to find the back of the net for Wolves.
Since making the move to the Gtech Community Stadium, Collins has become a pivotal player under the tutelage of Thomas Frank. The Republic of Ireland international has so far played 38 games for the club, managing to get on the score sheet three times, with one of those goals coming this season against the Old Gold.
Competition (season)
Games
Minutes
Clean sheets
Premier League (2023/24)
32
2650
7
FA Cup (2023/24)
2
210
0
Carabao Cup (2023/24)
1
90
0
Premier League (2024/25)
11
990
0
Carabao Cup (2024/25)
2
106
1
Given the defender is just 23 years of age, it is clear that the Bees signed a player for both the present and the future. He was described as a “complete and dominant” player by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, who also compared him to Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk.
Looking back on it, the Old Gold might regret selling Collins. Not only did he join a Premier League rival, but his value has since shot up. According to CIES Football Observatory, the defender is now worth as much as £46m, an increase of roughly £23m from what they sold him for.
O’Neil might well wish he still had Collins in his ranks to call upon, given their defensive frailties this term. Not only could he have helped sure things up at the back for Wolves, but they could have even sold him on for a far larger sum than what they did.
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