Johnny Phillips: Gary O’Neil’s fine start means there’s no need to gamble

The next few weeks could still be a busy period but most of the work will involve fringe players or a younger crop either moving on or coming into the junior ranks at the club. While this is all in the best interests of the individuals concerned, it has no bearing on first team matters.

The recruitment department wants to meet Gary O’Neil’s demands for a Number Nine though, something they were unable to do during the tail end of last summer’s window. But it would be foolish to gamble on an unproven player when O’Neil is adamant he needs a striker for the here and now.

The manager has a point. Last summer came and went with some fanfare around the incoming crop of young, hungry talent but collectively they had barely made an impact by the time supporters were sitting down to their Christmas turkey. Instead, O’Neil brought the best out of players such as Mario Lemina, Matheus Cunha and Hwang Hee Chan. After an injury-ravaged couple of years, Pedro Neto provided the stardust until another setback ruled him out in recent weeks. And in defence, it was that familiar “five at the back” refrain that added stability - with Craig Dawson, Maximilian Kilman and Toti providing the foundations.

With Hwang now away in Asia, O’Neil is no mood to entertain another player with lots of potential. If he is to add a Nine it needs to be a capable one. So, does the recruitment department try to find the best option on limited resources, or attempt to unearth an unknown gem, or instead look to the summer with more time and less of a gamble? They intend to find an answer, with loans-to-buy being spoken of, but maybe the third option is most pragmatic.

In this regard, O’Neil is a victim of his own success. Had Wolves been struggling in the league in January, then funds may have been forthcoming, but with Hwang and Cunha amongst the goals and Wolves in no danger of being relegated then perhaps the club is best advised to bide its time.

Clearly there is no future for squad strikers Sasa Kalajdzic and Fabio Silva. The latter has at least been farmed out on loan quickly, but the club should just take a financial hit on the player and recoup whatever pennies it can for a kid who never asked for that ludicrous price tag in the first place. Kalajdzic wants a fresh start elsewhere too, knowing that he is not the type of forward O’Neil is looking to embrace. His signing and subsequent injury was a classic example of the type of gamble that Wolves want to avoid in this window.

Elsewhere in attack, it is unrealistic to expect Neto to hang around past the summer months and begin a sixth season at the club. Wolves will want to benefit from Jorge Mendes’ best work in realising a top fee for a star player, which will help add to the coffers for any spending plans ahead of the 2024/25 season. O’Neil has earmarked the wide positions as an area he wants to strengthen with

a ball-carrier in the mould of Neto. Generating transfer income from a sale right now is more difficult, given that the player is only just returning from injury.

Only goalkeeper Jose Sa has garnered transfer interest, with Nottingham Forest monitoring the situation, but it would make no sense to move him on now unless a ready-made replacement is lined up. Sa’s form can be patchy and he is difficult to trust with the ball at his feet but he remains an excellent shot-stopper and a capable goalkeeper at this level.

Fosun hopes to reduce the wage bill this window and Jonny’s departure would go a long way to helping. Yet, finding a taker for the fullback could be difficult because of his sizeable salary. Another stalwart of the Nuno Espirito Santo era whose time at Molineux is drifting to an underwhelming end without that fond farewell. Raul Jimenez, Joao Moutinho and Conor Coady know how he feels although they lacked the temerity to trash the training ground on their way out.

When Julen Lopetegui departed with a great big pay-off after a shambolic summer of posturing, O’Neil’s only requirement was to keep the club up. It would be interesting to know what the Spaniard makes of the excellent first half of this season, but his recent media appearances have merely served to tell everyone he is still living locally and advertise his availability for the next Premier League job. Codsall Wanderers may be his best bet.

But without digressing too much, now that stability has returned to the other Wanderers, O’Neil deserves a shot at shaping the squad over the summer months. Aligned as he is with Matt Hobbs and the recruitment department, the fundamental question would concern how much Fosun intends to make available when this season draws to its conclusion. It is a key question because it will go a long way to addressing concerns that the ownership has tempered its earlier grand ambitions.