Wolverhampton Wanderers may have slipped to a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Coventry City in the FA Cup quarter-finals, yet this shouldn’t take away from just how impressive they have been at times this season.
The Old Gold endured a relegation dogfight in the Premier League for much of last season before Julen Lopetegui managed to give them some fight, eventually finishing 13th, scoring only 31 goals throughout the entire campaign.
Gary O’Neil took over ahead of the current term and since then, the Molineux outfit are currently occupying ninth position while managing to find the back of the net on 42 occasions, already 11 goals more than last term.
Much of this improvement going forward has been down to the likes of Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha, who have scored 22 between them this season, linking up well whenever they have featured.
Pedro Neto and Pablo Sarabia have also been in excellent form, each registering 14 and 12 goal contributions across all competitions.
While O’Neil’s attacking options have been at the top of their game, players such as Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes – Wolves’ regular midfield duo – have shone in the heart of the pitch and their presence combined with a free-scoring attack has been key to their current form.
Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes' season in numbers
Both players joined the club in January 2023, yet since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, they have been inseparable.
Lemina has scored four goals in the Premier League this term, but he also brings a defensive nous to the side.
Indeed, over the previous 365 days, the midfielder currently ranks in the top 14% for tackles per 90 (2.75) and in the top 11% for clearances per 90 (2.03) in the top five European leagues, proving how reliable he is.
Metric
Joao Gomes
Mario Lemina
Goals
2
4
Assists
1
0
Key passes per game
0.6
1
Total duels won per game
5.8
5.1
Accurate passes per game
28.8
33.2
Gomes is also capable of contributing at either end of the pitch. Not only has the Brazilian scored twice and grabbed an assist, but he has also created two big chances and succeeded with 63% of his attempted dribbles in the top flight, demonstrating his attacking talents.
Like Lemina, however, the 23-year-old can also chip in defensively, making 3.5 tackles per game while winning 5.8 total duels per game, with these statistics having allowed the duo to form a partnership which has thrived in recent months.
Should any of the two get injured, however, O’Neil does not have much strength in depth in that area, which could perhaps derail their progress made over the season.
How they must long for a certain Ruben Neves all over again.
Why Ruben Neves left Wolves behind
Neves was arguably Wolves’ best player throughout their underwhelming 2022/23 campaign, top scoring with six goals alongside Daniel Podence.
His future continued to look unclear, however, admitting that he desired to play Champions League football.
“I want to be here, but I never hide that I want to play Champions League football,” said Neves after a match against Everton towards the end of last season.
“It’s a hard decision. Me and my family love it here, but in football you have to go for your main goals. Nothing’s happened yet. If it was my last game here I really enjoyed it and I’m very thankful for the last six seasons.”
Barcelona were one of the clubs linked with making a move for the Portuguese midfielder during the summer transfer window, yet it was Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal who secured his signature for a fee of £47m, a sum that the club clearly couldn’t refuse.
Speaking about his move, he revealed why he headed to Saudi: "Of course one of the things is the money. Of course, you cannot hide that. But when we see the project and I know a lot of people think we say this because just to say it, but it’s not true. When they present us with the project, it’s a very big project," the Portuguese commented.
Since his move to the Middle East, Neves has been in wonderful form and there is no doubt he is missed by a wide section of the Molineux faithful.
Ruben Neves’ statistics for Al Hilal
The 27-year-old is arguably coming into the peak years of his career and this could benefit the Saudi outfit.
Since arriving at Al Hilal last summer, Neves has featured in 33 games for the club, scoring five goals and registering seven assists during that time period.
These 12 goal contributions are more than that of the aforementioned Lemina (five) and Gomes (three) combined this season, indicating that the Old Gold may rue selling the player, despite the lavish transfer fee received.
Among his teammates, Neves currently ranks third in the squad for big chances created (11), second for key passes per game (2.1) and first for accurate passes per game (67.7) in the Saudi Pro League.
With the likes of Neymar, Aleksander Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic playing alongside Neves, the fact that he has stood out in various performance metrics is a testament to just how good the former Wolves gem really is.
Hailed as “incredible” by his teammate at Molineux, Hugo Bueno, Neves has also shown that he can defend well, proving he can be effective at either end of the pitch.
When compared to his positional peers in the big five European leagues over the previous 365 days, the 5 foot 11 star currently ranks in the top 4% for blocks per 90 (2.01) and the top 7% for clearances per 90 (2.15), indicating that he has impressed across a range of metrics over the previous 12 months.
Neves’ current form has indicated that he can perform in another league and there is no doubt he could play Champions League football if he really wanted to.
The riches on offer in the Middle East have certainly turned a few heads but Neves is still young enough to be able to play a few seasons for Al Hilal before making the move to mainland Europe again.
He enjoyed six great seasons at Wolves, making over 250 appearances while scoring 30 goals, and there is no doubt he is one of their finest players, certainly in the last 25 years.
Might they rue selling him last summer? Considering his recent form, there is no doubt he could have taken this midfield to the next level.