- 16/06/2025
Wolves report card: Grading the Defenders
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00:00We are back, baby. It is Tuesday and that means that we'll be discussing the defenders.
00:14We'll be grading the defenders. Let's go straight into Alim Kim without further ado because there's
00:19a few of them this season. And let's go with someone who has gone from the right wing back
00:24role to right centre back. He can't play there, can he? He bloody well can. Matt Doherty.
00:28Big Matt Doherty. Big MD. Yeah, I think we've both been in the same camp here that we think
00:35he gets underappreciated quite a lot. I think he made a really good transition into centre
00:40back. Obviously, not going to be perfect. He had off games, had off moments. But I think
00:44overall, his experience in coming back into the team, which ironically actually in the
00:49last three games under O'Neill was his decision to bring him back in the team. But it was
00:52Pereira that stuck with him. It was Pereira that moved him to centre back. It was Pereira
00:57that got the best out of him. And credit to Doc for, I think, proving quite a few people
01:01wrong. It should be his position to lose, depending on how the summer goes. And for
01:06that reason, I think a B is fair. Maybe a B+, if I'm feeling generous. But I think he's
01:14got to be up there because his performance has played a big part in staying in the Premier
01:19League. Yeah, I agree with you. I was actually a little bit higher than that. I was going
01:23between a B+, and an A-, Keno. I've got to be honest, just because of the quality it's
01:26been this season. But I think we're in the middle there. So let's give him a B+, Matt
01:30Doherty. B+, for me. B for you, Keno. Fair play. Santiago Bueno, someone who was in with
01:36a lone move away at the start of the season, didn't materialise and played quite a lot of
01:41games, although lost his place, didn't he? And had to cope with the place on the bench
01:46towards the end of the season. Bueno's an interesting one, isn't it? I think from the
01:52start, we haven't been sold on him as a centre-back. Definitely not a starting centre-back. Again,
01:55another one where pre-season will be interesting to see if he's at the club going forward. But
01:59what do you make on Bueno? Yeah, he made a surprising amount of appearances when you
02:03look at it. And I know a lot of those were from the bench because Vito Pereira sort of
02:07allowed him a lot from the bench in the last stage of the season. He never really
02:11held down a first-team spot, but injuries and suspensions meant he would come back in.
02:16I bet it was in the 20s, was it? Well, I mean, I did my average player ratings and
02:20the marks that we gave, he was 27. But he would have made more than that because if
02:26you come in on the 89th minute, for example, we don't give a mark for it. So he would have
02:29had a few more than that as well. So he did play a lot of games sneakily. And so there
02:35was the occasional good one as well. The problem is there's a lot of bad ones and a lot of bad
02:40ones sneak into it. I mean, Newcastle away springs to mind as a really, really poor one
02:44from his perspective. I think he's got some quality. The problem is the physicality and
02:49the Premier League, and that's what he struggles with. For that reason, I think C- is fair.
02:55I don't think that's too harsh on him. It does highlight some of the positives he brings,
03:00but he struggles at times. Yeah, D-plus for me, Keno. Again, pretty similar.
03:04But yeah, I don't really want to see Santiago Bueno starting with Wolves at the start of
03:09next season. I don't think he will be. And I think he'll be given every chance to leave
03:13the club if they get replacements in. I think they still need to sign one or two more, even
03:17though the defence is probably pretty good at this moment in time. I think they probably
03:21will at least get one more centre-back in. Santiago Bueno. So D-plus and a C-minus.
03:26I think we're going to go a bit higher here for this man. Arguably, I would say one of
03:31the players of the season, if you were taking it for 2025, and that was when Emmanuel
03:36Agpadu came in finally for a replacement for Max Killman. They didn't do it. They were
03:40rock-bottom in the Premier League. 19th in the V-Tour took over. Agpadu comes in in
03:44January, and my goodness, what a signing Liam Keane.
03:47The vast majority of his performances were excellent. Really, really good. Brought that
03:52sort of alpha male energy. That sort of figurehead in defence that Wolves were missing.
04:00And he's been great in the air. He's quick. He's good with the ball at his feet. He's
04:04definitely better in the centre than he is on the left, because he filled in for the
04:08first three or four games there when Totty was still out, when he first arrived. And
04:12he went from strength to strength. It looked like he'd been playing the Premier League for
04:14a decade, let alone a few months. Really, really impressive. And for that reason, it's whether
04:21I put the plus in front of it or not or after, rather, I think I'm going to leave the plus
04:25off and go with an A. But I was very close to going A plus.
04:30Yeah, I was between A and A minus. Just because you have a couple of iffy games, but I think
04:34you're always going to have that centre-back. You're playing against the best strikers in
04:36the world. Of course you're going to do that. Got on the scoring sheet as well, Premier League
04:40goalscorer now as well. And I'd like to see more from Agpadu on that side of the pitch
04:44as well next season. I think he can do that. I think he can develop his game. Sneaky shout,
04:49I don't think he will be, but sneaky shout for captaincy material as well. Someone at
04:53the rock at the back who, like I say, he's a leader for me, but maybe not in his second
04:56season or maybe first full season. But I think further down the line, I can see Agpadu
05:00being the stalwart, the pillar of this club, you know, in that core, in that spine for many
05:05years to come. I'm giving him an A key now.
05:07I think so. And ironically, that goal that you're talking about came against Palace in probably
05:13his worst game in a Wolves shirt. So, but yeah, overall been fantastic. I think A's fair.
05:18Yeah, Palace of Liverpool away, I think, were the two disappointing ones. But for me,
05:21just brilliant. And without Agpadu, Wolves would definitely be teetering towards relegation.
05:26I think just giving them confidence. So, throughout the team, fantastic signing and I look forward
05:32to seeing him next season. Agpadu. A, Yusa Mosquera, big things expected. We were so impressed
05:39with him pre-season. Started, I thought he had a very promising start. I know that he
05:43got into a few skirmishes, so to speak, very early on. And then, of course, picked up yet
05:47another serious injury. However, shows how important he is. Backed five-year deal for
05:52Yusa Mosquera. Expect to see him again in pre-season this year. And we'll be looking to get straight
05:57into that starting line-up. What do you think about Mosquera and him for the season?
06:02Yeah, I mean, next season will be fascinating because, as you say, coming back from that injury
06:05and the club back him. I think he's got some talent, things to improve on. But there's
06:10a player there if he can stay fit. The problem is he's had injuries and it was a major, serious
06:16injury in the fifth game of the season away at Villa. So, for all those reasons, you can't
06:21give him anything higher than a D. I don't think. He lasted five games and Wolves were, you
06:27know, without him and desperately missing him. So, I think that's fair. Not really based on
06:32the performance. I thought he did relatively well or okay, at least in a few of the games.
06:35More to do with the fact that he wasn't available. Can't necessarily be helped, but I think you
06:40can't give him much higher than that.
06:42Yeah, I'm going to see Minus just because of the performances that I thought were promising
06:45and it's just a disappointment because I feel like he could have been one who really kicked
06:49on this season if he stayed fit. But look, these are injuries and these are injuries that
06:52are not going away. This is a big, big season for him. You can't get injured again.
06:56You really can't. And look, Wolves have taken a bit of a risk. I know he probably would
06:59have gone on a lower deal than what he probably would have commanded if he was playing
07:01regularly. And about a five-year deal. I mean, the last time we saw a five-year deal given
07:06out for an injury play, it was Sasha Kalajic. We were all shocked at that. I hope Yerson
07:10Moskera is not one of those players that keep picking up injuries and when they do this serious.
07:13But this is a very important season coming up for him. So, hopefully, we wish him well
07:17and we'll look forward to seeing him in pre-season. Craig Dawson, someone who has left
07:21the club now. Okay. Dawson has played a very important role. I think we both agree with
07:28that in previous seasons. But maybe H caught up with him a little bit this season. He did
07:32have some important games, I think, earlier on in the campaign. But there were some shockers,
07:36really, that Everton away game, I think, was one of the worst I've seen and really didn't
07:40really get a kick after that, did he? And then, you know, not even in the squad,
07:43Mundevito Pereira, not even at the training ground. So, we all knew that was coming.
07:48Craig Dawson, your grade this season, Liam.
07:51Very quickly, preface this by saying I think he's been excellent for Wolves since arriving
07:57in January 2023. For the vast majority of his time at the club, I think he's been fantastic.
08:03Last season was a real struggle. Yeah, early on, a couple of decent enough performances,
08:08but it very quickly tailed off. And that Everton game is one that really does linger
08:16for the wrong reasons in the memory. So, I understand the... In fact, actually, before
08:22I even say this, he played and started against Spurs away under Vito Pereira on the 29th
08:28of December. I remember because it was my birthday.
08:30That's when you got your car parking ticket.
08:32Yeah. Yes, I was buzzing. And he was really poor that day as well. And I think that was
08:37Pereira's sort of moment of realisation. I mean, they were bringing that centre-back
08:41in any way. I think that was his moment where he realised, he's not going to play in my system.
08:45It's not going to work. And he never made the registered squad after that, never played
08:49again. And, you know, we know sometimes it can be a little bit difficult behind the scenes.
08:55Yeah, a little bit volatile, a little bit stroppy.
08:57And he didn't want to, you know, didn't want to be around the place. He wasn't going to
09:01be involved. He wasn't at the training ground. And it was a slightly sad ending to a Wolves
09:05career that, for the vast majority, was pretty good. But there's a few players that, unfortunately,
09:09fall into that same category. So, for that reason, I think D-.
09:14I've got D- as well. Spot on keynote. Nelson Samedo, of course, still mulling over that
09:19multi-year extension. And we'll see whether that happens. Captain Nelson Samedo as well.
09:24Someone who, I think, had a strong campaign. Liam, of course, very important given the
09:31captaincy by Gary O'Neill when Mario Lamina departed or left the club under Vito Pereira
09:37eventually. But after that skirmish and unacceptable behaviour at West Ham United. And look, they
09:43needed someone to steady the ship. I think Nelson Samedo did that. And then some, spoken
09:47glowingly in terms of his development as captain and as a leader under Vito Pereira. And that's
09:52why they want to keep him at this football club. Look, he's not getting any younger.
09:55But it just shows with the contract offer that they've got on the table for him how
09:58important he is at this football club. Nelson Samedo, great.
10:04I think the positives, and there are quite a few for Nelson Samedo, is that he was pretty
10:09consistent this season. Pretty dependable. One of the first names on the team sheet for
10:14both managers and for good reason. And a really good professional. Similar to other players
10:19we're talking about, and some more we will come on to as well. Really good professional.
10:23And Uni hit the name on the head there as captain, stayed the ship and brought calmness and brought
10:28a sort of selflessness to the role that made sure that the rest of the squad was okay before
10:32himself. I thought that was really important. Really, really impressive what he was able
10:36to offer. The negatives for me, and this is the story of his season, sort of his career
10:40rather, is that he doesn't do enough going forward, doesn't get enough numbers. And for that reason,
10:45I think you have to take that into account. But it's still a very good mark, in my opinion,
10:49nonetheless. I've gone B+. But there is scope to maybe increase that slightly. But I thought
10:55overall pretty decent.
10:56Yeah, I'm going to say B for me, just a solid B. I agree with you. I think in this system
11:01and with Wolves, and when you've lost someone like Mateus Cunha as well now, we'll see who
11:05comes in. But when you're playing three of the back, when you're playing wing backs, you've
11:08got to attack more. You just have to, because that's such an important role in this side
11:13under Vita Pereira. And that's never been Nelson Cometo's forte. So if they do move on,
11:17I expect to see someone who can contribute a little bit more at the other end of the pitch.
11:22But look, if we just sign a new deal, if he is the right wing back, I think we'll all be quite
11:25happy. I'm sure that the fans will be as well. So a B and a B+. I think that's fair enough.
11:31That's Nelson Cometo. Someone who started the season pretty poorly was your dark horse to play
11:35this season. And look, you were spot on, Kino, because he came back and he was the Totti Gomez
11:41that we all know, we all saw last season, and then some, I think. I think he'll be back
11:45in that Portugal side very, very quickly. On that left-hand side, as a centre-back, and
11:51for me, is integral to this football club going forward. I know he's still got some people
11:55who don't like the way that he plays, but I think he's a fantastic signing for Wolves,
11:59and I think he will be. Probably the next one to really be up there and play the season,
12:04top two or top three. Brilliant, brilliant end to the season for Totti Gomez.
12:08Yeah, I was struggling a little bit with my prediction early on. He was really struggling
12:13in the back four under Gary O'Neill. Some really bad performances. But they moved to
12:17a five, and he became, under Vito Pereira, of course, and they became, he became one of
12:22the first names on the team. A really key player. He had so much balance to this side. You need
12:27that left footer on that side for the way that Vito Pereira wants to play. And without
12:31him, as we said about, but he moving over there, Wolves struggled. So, yeah, really, really
12:35impressive. Some fantastic performance. He's a great athlete. He's got shortcomings,
12:39of course he does, but I thought he was excellent overall, particularly under Vito, of course.
12:44So, with that, I think a B. Should I get a straight B?
12:48Straight B for me. Straight B for me. Absolutely. Yeah, there you go.
12:52We're pretty close so far. I like it. There's going to be one where we're going to be completely
12:54miles apart, but we'll see who it is. Plenty of that scrapping if you talk about some of the
13:00players this season. Someone who's not with us anymore. Not literally with us anymore.
13:04I've got a cycle in the L.
13:06The news. Crack it, the obituary up. Ryan Aitnoury, gone to Manchester City as well.
13:13Interesting one Aitnoury. I thought we saw some good moments from Aitnoury, but not enough,
13:18really. However, it might be just screams of the output of wing-backs in the Premier League,
13:22I think, that he still was leading the attacking stats. And I think I've seen better seasons
13:27of Ryan Aitnoury. At the same time, I think he all moves on with our best wishes. We can
13:31discuss the price and what they got for him to a blue in the face. But I think that in
13:36terms of his performance this season, slightly underwhelming for me, but still an important
13:44point of contact, whether it be defensively or offensively for Wolves. Interesting what you
13:51think of him from a great point of view, but I'm going to give him a B-. Kino, what's
13:55your thoughts? Well, two in a row, we're aligned. That's exactly what I was going to say. I do
14:01wonder whether some fans will be surprised at that. But I think I completely agree. When
14:06you compare to earlier seasons or different seasons, previous seasons, his overall contribution,
14:12his overall impact on the team, his consistency, I think has been better than it was last year.
14:17But his numbers were actually pretty decent. So it's a weird sort of juxtaposition to take
14:22into account because I don't think his performances were as good as they can be for players' quality.
14:27I do think he still struggles defensively. I do still think he might be a player to play
14:31further forward at some point in his career, but we will see how that pans out at Man City
14:35or elsewhere. So good luck to him. Again, good guy, good player, gave five years to Wolves
14:43and put a really good goodbye message on Instagram, which says a lot of him as an individual, which
14:48we haven't seen from elsewhere, by the way. So let's just point that out. So wishing well,
14:55but I think B- is fair. I really do. I think we could have had more from him, albeit he was
15:02understandably still a key player.
15:03Yeah, absolutely. Where did he get Wisconsin seeing his health this year? You know, plays
15:09a lot of games, doesn't miss one. That's good for Ryan. I mean, that's what inevitably when
15:13other clubs are looking at him, gets him a move. Because if you see someone who's really
15:16good, but plays 20 games a season or was hobbling off, you know, at half-time or 60 minutes as
15:20he was, but he's got himself fitter. I think that's a fair play to Ryan at Noreen. Like I
15:25say, I think we all wish him well going forward. Right, Nasser Giga came in in January as well.
15:30Someone who didn't get as much of a look in as obviously someone like an Agba do. One for the
15:34future. Yeah, still got a lot of work to do for me. And I thought that him and Doc would have been
15:41in a bit more of a battle than they were. But Doc, I think, was head and shoulders above Giga.
15:45A few mistakes there. Still a bit nervous. I wonder if he goes on loan this season.
15:51You might disagree, Liam, but I think depending on what the recruitment is like in defence this
15:55season, whether Giga does need a season playing consistently would be an interesting shout.
16:03For me, I'm going to give him... I don't want to kill the guy because, like I say, he's still
16:08young, looking to prove. I'm going to give him a D+.
16:12Once again, honestly, honestly, I'll be honest with you if we disagreed. But once again, I
16:19felt a little bit similar to you. You felt a little bit bad for doing this because he
16:23is a young lad. He has come to a new country. He didn't play a lot. But when he did play,
16:27he looked nervous, made a few errors, wasn't convincing by any means. And the fact that he
16:32wasn't as heavily involved for a player that, you know, they spent ÂŁ10 million on him in
16:36January, you would hope that you'd get a bit more out of him. I do think there's a lot
16:39more to come. It's how long it takes him to get up to speed with the Premier League and
16:44that comes down to, you know, your query about whether he might go on loan or not. So, yeah,
16:47I think D-plus is fair. You didn't see enough from him when he did play. Just didn't perform.
16:53Yeah. Pedro Lima is the finishes off the defenders this year. Again, didn't see much from him at all
17:00really. But there are glimpses there. I don't think he's ready to come and start next season
17:05if Nelson Tomeiro doesn't end up signing that contract. I still think there's work to be done.
17:08But he is one, I think, that Wolves really like. And I think he's going to be a fan favourite going
17:13forward. Still needs to work. And I think Vitor Pereira said, I think you were speaking to him
17:17towards the end of last season. Liam, he still says he needs a lot of work defensively. But it's an
17:22exciting talent going forward. You probably want, you can take, you know, Sameda or someone at the
17:27back and Lima going forward and you probably merge the two and you've probably got the perfect right
17:32wing back there. But I think that Lima will still need to work on that. I'm sure he'll be with the
17:36group next year and he'll continue to learn. And I expect to see more of him this upcoming season
17:42than we did last. In terms of grade, difficult to grade, I'll give him, he hasn't done too much
17:48or I'm going to give him a C+.
17:49Oh, C+.
17:51Okay.
17:52Okay, we are disagreeing. I'm going to see minus.
17:55Okay.
17:56Now, my reasons being that you compare him to Giga, neither of them played very much at
18:02all. Very similar. Oh no, obviously Lima was there for the full season. Giga, when he
18:09did come in, didn't play particularly well. When Lima came in on the odd occasion, which
18:14was very rare. I thought he did relatively well, actually. Again, still were things to
18:18work on, but I thought he did okay. So because of that, I think I can only give him just a
18:23little bit more than Giga rather than, you know, a whole fall from, you know, D plus to
18:28C plus. I think I've got to go slightly higher, but not too much higher because he just didn't
18:33play enough football. That's not a knock on him. I think it's just the fact he needs time
18:38to develop. But I thought he was promising for what we saw.
18:41Okay. I think probably I was a little bit high on him because Lima's 18, Giga's 22.
18:45He's coming, you know, so that's probably why I've given him a little bit more of a leeway.
18:49But yeah, that's the end of the defenders. Tomorrow is Wednesday. We will see you for
18:53the midfielders, baby.
18:56You love to see it. See you soon. Take care.
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