Ahead of the Premier League final stretch, Gary O’Neil must continue to figure out how to get the most out of his dwindling team, which has left Wolves in a challenging position.
Wolves’ season-long struggles will require Gary O’Neil to lead his team to the highest possible finish, as the Old Gold’s squad deficiencies have finally caught up to them.
The depth of the Molineux roster was well known going into the 2023–2024 season because Fosun was unable to make fresh additions in the summer of 2023 to cover the voids left by important departures.
Not only did financial constraints significantly affect Wolves’ roster size and depth, but they also caused Julen Lopetegui to resign from his position just a few days before the season
One positive is that the Spaniard’s departure allowed O’Neil to take the reins however, the Englishman is now seeing just how difficult the squad shortages are, with one player being greatly affected.
Leon Chiwome is struggling as a result of Wolves’ insufficient roster.
O’Neil has fielded academy jewels in the last two Premier League games to increase the attacking numbers.
The manager has had limited resources due to the injuries sustained by Hwang Hee-chan, Pedro Neto, and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, as well as the recent return of Matheus Cunha. As a result, Leon Chiwome has been called upon.
As journalist Nathan Judah noted when discussing the topic on Episode 334 of the E&S Wolves Podcast, it is reasonable and “sad” that the 18-year-old has found it difficult to make an impression since joining the team.
“He’s [Chiwome] done as well as he could have done in the last two games, he’s not really done too much right, he wasn’t terrible, he just was fine.”
“He got caught offside a few times, slowed the play down but probably did better than Nathan Fraser did against Coventry, but what more do you expect?”
“This guy is out of his depth, but so he should be at this level at this moment in time, it’s a sad state of affairs when we’re putting the trust and hope of a potential season in an 18-year-old kid’s hands.”
With only three senior appearances in his blossoming career, it would be naive to expect the teenager to make the impact required at this point in Wolves’ season.
Gary O’Neil is making the most out of a difficult situation at Wolves
O’Neil’s squad is dangerously low on depth even when all of his players are fit, let alone when a host of key names are absent.
It’s an almost impossible situation for the manager to navigate at present, hence the inclusion of the likes of Chiwome and Nathan Fraser, who have been forced to step up so early in their careers.
The boss made no hesitation to address the current issues that his squad are facing after the 1-1 draw with Burnley, addressing Fosun to hammer home just how much the club needs to invest in bolstering the depth this summer.
It’s a shame for all of O’Neil’s, and the squad’s, hard work this season to come to a point of fighting for results against the odds due to their lack of depth however, all hope is not lost as if there’s anything this team can do, it’s overcome adversity.
