Five Wolves players who need a big season at Molineux

We’ve only seen 45 minutes of the giant Austrian before disaster struck on debut against Southampton.

With an ACL injury subsequently confirmed, the striker’s campaign was over before it had begun.

Bruno Lage signed Kalajdzic to a huge five-year deal with the 25-year-old billed as the resolution to Wolves’ striker problems.

While there is no doubting the forward’s goalscoring record (23 goals in 57 for Stuttgart), injury issues throughout his career are a major cause for concern.

The knee injury was the fifth time the centre-forward had missed at least four months of football since the 2017/18 season.

Wolves were the lowest scorers in the league last season and with question-marks over the futures of Raul Jimenez and Fabio Silva, Kalajdzic could easily be a starter next season.

He suits the way Julen Lopetegui wants to play, but in order to have a run in the team, the centre-forward must stay fit.

Pedro Neto

Will the real Pedro Neto please stand up?

Before fracturing his kneecap at Fulham in April 2021, Neto was not just one of the most exciting young talents at the club, he was one of the brightest emerging stars in the Premier League.

Upon his return, he then missed another four months following ankle surgery before making a comeback towards the end of last season.

It’s a huge year for the Portugal international – not only does he need a full pre-season and to stay injury free, Neto must find more consistency when on the field.

Arsenal were rumoured to be interested in a £30million deal last summer, but the club had no intention of selling.

At his best, Neto has the ability to be Wolves’ match-winner on a regular basis. But his goal contributions have been woefully low and that has to improve.

Stay healthy and the 23-year-old should nail down a regular starting spot in Lopetegui’s side, but this appears to be a make-or-break year for the youngster.

Pablo Sarabia

Sarabia was one of Lopetegui’s January recruits with a £4.5m fee looking a bargain from Paris Saint Germain, but in all honesty he flattered to deceive during his first season

The Spanish international arrived with an excellent goalscoring record while on loan at Sporting and a very useful strike-rate during his time with PSG.

And the 31-year-old also made a promising start to his Wolves career , mainly working on the right-hand side and looking more threatening with each appearance.

He scored Wolves’ opener in the 1-1 draw at Fulham, but failed to kick on for the remainder of the season as many thought he would do.

Sarabia is never going to be a player that stands out on the pitch; with his diminutive stature, a lot of his best work is done off the ball.

But it was his delivery that disappointed Lopetegui. It regularly saw the attacking midfielder substituted early in games, before losing his place in the side altogether. Wolves will want plenty more from Sarabia and he needs to start the season strong – he’ll certainly get an early opportunity to impress.

Chiquinho

Chiquinho had to sit out the entirety of the 2022/23 season following a horror tackle in a behind-closed-doors pre season friendly against Burnley.

It was a devastating blow for the youngster, who showed so much promise the season before following his January move from Estoril.

The Portuguese U21-international put in some lively displays down the right-hand side, continually looking a threat going forward.

The Wolves fans quickly took to him for his energetic cameos from the bench in what was a very poor end to the season under Bruno Lage.

Two fabulous assists in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea gave many the confirmation that the forward could be a bit special.

Chiquinho may have to ease his way into the first-team after such a long lay-off, but with Adama Traore likely to sign elsewhere, it could be a big season for the all-action 23-year-old.

Nelson Semedo

It was far from a straight-forward decision whether Wolves took their two-year club option to extend Semedo’s contract. Big wages and Financial Fair Play were certainly an issue, but so too was the Portuguese international’s contributions on the pitch.

Wolves agreed a £37m deal with Barcelona back in 2020, including add-ons, but have they got value for money? Many would argue no.

Too many defensive mistakes and only one senior goal in three seasons is not the return the club and the supporters were hoping for.

Semedo had his best period as a wing-back under Bruno Lage as Wolves chased European football before falling away badly in the 2021/22 season.

But a torn hamstring suffered at Arsenal stopped the defender in his tracks and he has never hit the same heights again.

Lopetegui admitted he did not recognise ‘this version’ of Semedo on his arrival, but worked closely with the 29-year-old rebuilding his confidence and making him more defensively sound in a back four.

Expect Wolves to sign competition this summer at right-back and if Semedo starts poorly, he could find himself on the outside looking in pretty quickly.