Wolverhampton Wanderers have admitted that years of inadequate recruitment have led to Molineux being taken off the European circuit and sentenced to relegation from the Premier League.
In recent weeks, Wolves have taken points from league leaders Arsenal and claimed all the spoils against Aston Villa and Liverpool. In this, Rob Edwards has shown evidence of the progress the club has made since taking over in November.
But pulling off a spectacular escape would be too much for the Old Golds, who are still 12 points from safety after their recent purple patch.
Too many factors have contributed to this spiral and Edwards will be confident of being able to take Wolves back to the big time, but the sale of Matheus Cunha appears to have been a watershed moment in their journey through the Premier League.
Why Wolves sold Matheus Cunha
Replacing Cunha, one of the most talented forwards in Wolves history, was always going to be difficult. Manchester United was his dream move and he moved to Old Trafford for a fee of £62.5 million.
Praised by BBC pundit Micah Richards for his “sensational football IQ” during his time as Wolves’ attacking talisman, Cunha became a difference-maker in 2024/25, contributing to the club’s survival with 15 goals and six assists in the Premier League.
Wolves supporters could not and will not begrudge Cunha his decision to take on Man United. He was honest throughout the entire process, perhaps to a fault.
But his qualities as an attacking maverick have been largely missing at Molineux this season, going from strength to strength under Edwards, while his replacement has struggled to produce similar results.
Wolves win gold with new Cunha
In September 2023, Wolves signed Jean-Richner Bellegarde from Ligue 1 side Strasbourg for £13 million. I was praised.”incredibly direct and simple” The Haitian player, who was on the ball by The Athletic’s Tom Harris, is fast-paced and energetic, adept at moving the ball from third to third.
Jean-Richner Bellegarde – Wolves stats by position | ||
|---|---|---|
position | app | Goal + Assist |
central midfield | 20 | 2+2 |
attacking midfield | twenty three | 1+3 |
defensive midfield | 9 | 0 + 1 |
left wing | 8 | 1 + 0 |
right wing | 3 | 1+1 |
center forward | 3 | 0+0 |
This season he has played a bit of a utility man role for Vitor Pereira and then Edwards, but his quality and presence remain undiminished and he has come into his own again in recent weeks after an injury layoff.
Belgarde may not be able to perform at his best in front of goal, either as a scorer or a creator, but he shares with Cunha the ability to define himself through his work rate, energy and enthusiasm. Direct involvement is simply a nice bonus.
There is no doubt he has room for improvement, but retaining Bellegarde’s services for the championship season is essential. That’s because his dynamic, all-action midfield style is sure to break through many second-tier defenses and help Edwards get Wolves back on straight.
Bellegarde has been outstanding in recent weeks and it’s no coincidence that his resurgence coincided with the Wolves’ brightest moment of the season. Like Cunha, the creative midfielder has an outstanding ability to push his team forward, playing to his own beat and combining physicality and technique to emphatic effect.
In fact, Bellegarde has achieved a dribbling success rate of 64% and a duel win rate of 54.3% in the Premier League this season, and it’s no exaggeration to say that he’s starting to prove why talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed him as one of France’s “crazy” young talents while playing for France’s international youth teams.
Wolves are in the doldrums, but they are by no means out. But above all, Edwards has managed to instill hope across Wolverhampton, and the club will carry that into the new season, cheering from the stands and watching stars like Bellegarde fight hard to re-emerge.
More important than Mane: Edwards brings gold to ‘incredible’ Wolves star
Wolves have enough quality to help them return to the Premier League ahead of the possibility of relegation.
