- 08/07/2025
Liam Keen and Nathan Judah discuss six Wolves players who will want to make a strong early impression on Vitor Pereira.
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00:00But he has got a chance. We know he's got the talent and he put it all together to stay injury free and get that starting spot back lead.
00:08If all three of them are fit, injury free and firing, Mosquera, Agbedou and Totti is a monstrous back three.
00:17That's a scary athletic tool.
00:19There are some big boys.
00:21Absolutely. And that is a really exciting back three.
00:24I completely agree with you. You cannot disrespect what Matt Doherty did.
00:29You cannot undermine the experience, the professionalism, what he brings to this football club.
00:40Well, hello, everybody. Welcome to the latest episode. It is the Keene and Judah Show.
00:45I'm your host, Nathan Judah. Delighted to be joined by Mr. Liam Keene.
00:50And Liam, it's an important Monday, Monday morning, and the players are officially back for preseason.
00:56It all begins again, baby.
00:58Although Compton Park may be a little bit quieter than usual.
01:03That's because I wrote on Saturday that several players will be given extended time off due to their international commitments.
01:10Today, there will be no, we don't think so, Jose Sarr, Matt Doherty, Santiago Bueno, Pedro Lima, Hwangi Chan, Jürgen Stran Larsson.
01:19They're all expected to join the team as they fly off to Portugal on Thursday.
01:24There's also no Rodrigo Gomez or Hugo Bueno in Portugal after their involvement with the Euro under-21s getting to the quarter-finals.
01:33So, that'd be two or three coming back today, Keene. That's about it, isn't it?
01:38Yeah, not me. If we got our boots on, we might get a kick around.
01:42I was going to say, we might get a call today.
01:43With V2 and the lads.
01:44But yeah, and with Hugo and Rodrigo, as you mentioned, they won't be in Portugal at all for the time that the players are over there.
01:52They'll be coming back to join up with everyone else once they're back in England.
01:56And of course, they're back in England before going to Spain for that weekend to play Girona as well.
02:00So, it's a little bit of a back and forth pre-season this year.
02:03Yeah, interesting one.
02:04And the Keene Judy show today, we're going to be discussing about six players who will want to impress in pre-season.
02:09Of course, everyone wants to impress, but I think we've chosen six players who have got plenty to play for.
02:16And it's not just some people's pre-seasons, first pre-season as Wolves players.
02:21It's Vito Pereira's first pre-season as Wolves head coach.
02:25It's a very important one for him.
02:27So, let's go straight into it, Kino.
02:29Let's go straight into and dive straight into someone who's actually not going to be there today.
02:32And as you've just said, not going to be there for Portugal.
02:35And that's Hugo Bueno.
02:36And you can understand it, like I say, got to the quarter-finals.
02:38Didn't have the best tournament, I don't think you can say, for Spain under-21s.
02:44They got knocked out by England, I believe, in the quarter-finals.
02:47And he will not be there today.
02:49He'll not be there in Portugal.
02:50But as you can understand, they need rest.
02:52They need recovery.
02:53And Vito Pereira will run the rule over him, I think, when they get back to England.
02:58It's unfortunate timing, though, isn't it, Liam?
03:00With Ryan Agnori going to Manchester City.
03:03I guess the only caveat is that Rodrigo Gomez, another person who will be competing with him, I guess,
03:08for that left wing-back slot, won't be there as well.
03:11But in terms of what we think Hugo Bueno, there's been some great, I think, motivational speaking from Vito Pereira.
03:18He's very excited to have Hugo Bueno back in the camp.
03:21And I would say, and probably yourself at this moment in time, that he's in prime position to take over as Wolves starter in Ryan Agnori's position to start next season.
03:30Yeah, and before I talk about Hugo as an individual, Vito will be delighted with the amount of players back, particularly for Portugal,
03:37because I don't think he'll have any full-backs or wing-backs available to him.
03:41Maybe Pedro Lima are best.
03:43Exactly.
03:44And Pedro Lima, hopefully, for Portugal.
03:45And that's pretty much it.
03:47Yeah, I mean, it sounds like Matt Doherty might be getting a little bit of a run-out, a wing-back.
03:51But yeah, I mean, of course, they're going to have to find the solutions for that.
03:53And in the very early stages of preseason, that doesn't really matter too much because it's very normal that you have to give these players that extended time off.
04:01Look, Hugo Bueno and Rodrigo Gomez played for the 21s deep into that competition, as you say, in the Euro Championships.
04:07And it'd be silly, really, not to give them that extended time off as it happens every year with players that play in European or international competitions.
04:15So that's very normal and the smart thing to do, really, from Wolves' perspective.
04:20And for Hugo, when he does return, as we say, we're expecting that to be when the team return from Portugal back to England.
04:26They've got a friendly against Stoke, friendly against Alon.
04:29And then, of course, they go off to Spain for that weekend as well to play Girona.
04:33So when he's back with them, what he does have in front of him is a massive opportunity.
04:37That's the best way to look at it from Hugo Bueno's perspective.
04:41I think from the fans' perspective as well, because there will be a little bit of pressure on Hugo to perform and take that opportunity.
04:47But there has to be a realisation that that opportunity is there.
04:50Because as I reported months ago, the club were keen to bring Hugo back and give him that chance.
04:56But it does depend how pre-season goes. We know that the club have been looking in that area for competition, for depth, for some of the potential signings in those areas with Aitnori leaving the club.
05:08It doesn't necessarily mean they'll look to sign someone to replace Hugo Bueno, but it does depend on how quickly he takes that opportunity and how quickly he settles in.
05:16I think there's a slightly mixed opinion on him at the moment. In my opinion, I think he's got some really good qualities, really good crossing ability.
05:25I think he's better defensively than Ryan Aitnori was, and he has got a chance of taking that opportunity.
05:31But there are other people that will think he's probably too good to be a backup and maybe not quite good enough to take that opportunity to be the starting wing back.
05:40That's where he's now got to try and prove a couple of those people wrong, but also take that chance.
05:46If he does that, Wolves will be in a much better position. If he doesn't, they've got a massive decision to make.
05:51Yeah, and they haven't got a lot of time to make that decision because if Hugo Bueno doesn't impress in the first week or two,
05:58they don't want to go into the season where they think they're a little bit short or they're just putting square pegs in round holes.
06:03Vito Pereira will be insistent on having his best side and hopefully most of the people sign by August the 16th.
06:10I understand that some players might go on and they drag on and then you're looking at deadline day around September the 1st,
06:16but he will want the main part of his squad ready to go on August the 16th against Manchester City.
06:21So if in that first week he doesn't impress, he doesn't show what we think he can do,
06:26then there will be a snap decision and they could bring someone in very, very quickly.
06:30Yeah, and I think from the higher up position at Wolves, they're keen to bring Hugo back in and see the qualities he brings to this team.
06:38But, you know, particularly when it comes to the decisions on the pitch and who plays,
06:43the most important opinion there really is going to be Vito Pereira and the coaching staff.
06:48If they don't quite think he's ready or don't quite think he's good enough, which remains to be seen,
06:53then they're going to want to bring a replacement in and that's where the club are going to have to make that decision.
06:57I think Hugo Bueno's got enough in him to come back and do well, but perhaps he needs a little bit of competition below him as well.
07:05I don't think you necessarily, with his injury issues last season and previously, can rely on him for a full campaign.
07:11But I think quality-wise, I think he's got enough.
07:14Yeah, and someone who will be providing that competition, let's go on to it.
07:17And someone, again, as we've just said, will not be there in Portugal, is Rodrigo Gomez.
07:24He's had a fantastic pre-season last year, didn't he, in Miami and really impressed us, I think, in America.
07:31Got that first start of the season against Arsenal and then was almost left out in the cold.
07:38Came back in, scored some goals, but it was an in-and-out season.
07:42We can both understand it, I think.
07:43Youngster coming to the country, I think he's actually had an interview since then saying he can understand why he was left out
07:50and that they just brought him in slowly, I think, into the picture.
07:54And you can understand that he said he's become a man now.
07:56He's learned a lot of things.
07:57And it is for a young person to come into this country and to learn, you know, from the start in the Premier League.
08:03I think it's probably a good thing, especially when they're going through a difficult run to start the season.
08:08But Rodrigo Gomez will be ready to go and won't be wanting to push Hugo Bueno in the starting spot.
08:15He'll not be happy with a place on the bench.
08:17He'll not want to just play 15 minutes as a left wing forward or 20 minutes as a left right wing back.
08:23Oh, sorry, left wing back or a right wing back.
08:25He'll want to be starting.
08:26He is versatile, but I'm not sure that's a help or a hindrance.
08:29Does he want to nail down a certain spot, whether that be left or the right hand side?
08:34Of course, with Nelson Sameda not there at the moment and probably not going to be there signing this contract.
08:39Yeah, I think I probably speak for both of us to say that we're big fans of Rodrigo Gomez.
08:45And I hope you agree on this one as well. As much as I'm a big fan of him, he's probably not quite at the stage of starting week in week out in the Premier League.
08:54And that's why I think the versatility will probably be to his benefit.
08:58He can play on the left and he can play on the right, both at wing back positions.
09:01Wolves tend to play with their further forward players with quite narrow tens, which I don't really think he fits into those positions.
09:08But if they were chasing a game, for example, in the Premier League, I think he's got, you know, he can definitely play in those further forward positions if they were to stretch it a little bit, go a bit wider, slightly change tact.
09:18So that versatility, I think, is going to help him because he needed the time last season to get bedded in and get settled into the Premier League.
09:25I thought he did that well, particularly in the second half of the campaign when he was given a little bit more responsibility and trust, I think, from Vito Pereira.
09:33But going into this campaign, he'll want to up the responsibility, he'll want to play more games, he'll want to start more games.
09:40More importantly, is he a start-up of Wolves week in, week out? I don't think so.
09:44And that's not, you know, a negative on the quality that he's got.
09:49I think he just needs a little bit more time to get there.
09:51And I think as a squad option, someone that can come in and out, play in different positions, I think he's a fantastic option.
09:56You mentioned last summer with the America trip. We both thought he was fantastic.
10:02He scored a couple of goals, looked really dangerous, very, very quick, great on the transition, arrives in dangerous areas of the back post, has got a real eye for goal.
10:12Now, he started that first game at Arsenal. Both of us felt that he did OK.
10:16I mean, it wasn't the best performance by any means, but it was OK.
10:19You know, he got bedded in quickly enough.
10:22But Gary O'Neill wasn't quite having him, didn't think he was ready.
10:26And of course, as you mentioned, didn't get a look in for quite a while after that.
10:29So I do think he needs that little bit of time just to keep progressing and keep learning and keep getting better, get more starts in the abouts.
10:37But he's got the ability to do it.
10:39Wolves have to, I think, have the senior players around him, though, to give that competition and give him opportunities.
10:45Can you keep Rodrigo Gomez happy, though? Will he be happy doing that and being a bit part and, you know, playing here or there and getting a few starts?
10:51I think that he'll start to be a little bit more assertive now.
10:55I think he's got a role on the side.
10:57He'll understand that Hugo Bueno is, you know, is looking for that starting spot.
11:01But he'll be like, well, I was here last season.
11:02You know, I'm ready to go.
11:03You know, I've shown what I can do.
11:04So I feel like Rodrigo Gomez will want to be considered in that starting berth.
11:10Will that be on the left or the right hand side?
11:12Yeah, he's a very, very nice guy and he's a very softly spoken guy.
11:17I think he'd be happy with being given more responsibility, but still not necessarily being the number one guy.
11:24But with that confidence, with that assertiveness, he will start to then grow into himself and demand more.
11:30But next season will be another good one for him to continue growing.
11:33I just don't think he's necessarily going to be a first choice starter.
11:37But it's a big preseason for him to prove a few of us wrong, perhaps.
11:40Looking at six players who will want to impress in preseason.
11:44Two so far, Hugo Bueno and Rodrigo Gomez will have four straight after a short break.
12:07We are back, baby.
12:08It is the Keen and Judith show.
12:10We're looking at six players who will want to impress during preseason.
12:14Of course, the players are back now.
12:15Before the break, we had Hugo Bueno and we had Rodrigo Gomez.
12:20Four to go.
12:21One person who, again, we really liked last preseason.
12:26Played the first five Premier League games and, of course, had a horrendous injury, didn't he?
12:31I'm so unfortunate.
12:32At Aston Villa, and that is Yerson Moscara.
12:34But he's back.
12:35We're excited to see him back.
12:36He'll be delighted to be back in the fold.
12:38And a lot of people, a lot of people, Liam, are thinking that he will take over.
12:43Matt Doherty's starting spot on that right-hand side of the centre of that back three.
12:49I don't think it's going to be as simple as that.
12:51I really don't.
12:52First of all, he's got to improve fitness.
12:55He's got to get his form back.
12:57And also, let's be honest, Matt Doherty had a fantastic campaign at centre-back.
13:01It was a revelation.
13:02So he'll want to hold on to it.
13:04And Yerson Moscara has got plenty to do between now and the start of the season to be in with a chance of starting against Manchester City.
13:12But he has got a chance.
13:14We know he's got the talent.
13:15Can he put it all together?
13:17Stay injury-free and get that starting spot back, Liam.
13:21If all three of them are fit, injury-free and firing, Moscara, Agbedou and Totti is a monstrous back three.
13:30That's a scary athletic tool.
13:32There are some big boys.
13:34Absolutely.
13:35And that is a really exciting back three.
13:37But I completely agree with you.
13:39You cannot disrespect what Matt Doherty did.
13:42You cannot undermine the experience, the professionalism, what he brings to this football club.
13:48And he was fantastic.
13:49He really was in that second half of the season when Vito Pereira gave him, you know, one of the first names on the team sheet and made sure he was important and used that experience to his benefit to get Wolves out of trouble.
13:59So, in my opinion, of course, look, preseason's only just starting today.
14:02We're going to be going off as well.
14:04And we're going to see everything that's going on over the next few weeks.
14:06Things will change very quickly.
14:08But in my opinion, right now, as of today, as of July the 7th, Matt Doherty, that should be his shirt.
14:16And that is why there's a massive challenge for Jus Moscara to get back in there.
14:22I think for all of the attributes he's got, of course, there's things to improve, definitely.
14:27But all of the attributes he's got, he can play in the Premier League, he can start, he can be a really good player for Wolves.
14:32The injury issues are a massive concern.
14:34He's had a few in his Wolves career.
14:35And, of course, there's really bad knee injury that derailed his whole last season after five games, as you mentioned.
14:41He's got to overcome that.
14:42He's got to come back from that strong enough.
14:44It's also not just physically strong enough.
14:45You've got to come back mentally strong enough, you know, putting weight again.
14:48I know he's a bit further into his rehab than I'm suggesting with this, but the things about, you know, having the confidence to put weight on that knee, going to a tackle, all these kind of mental blocks that you've got to get past as well.
14:59If he can do all of that, he can have a really good challenge against Matt Doherty, against Santi Bueno, if he sticks around as well.
15:06We expect Anasa Giga to move on, but there will be potentially a signing on the left side of the back three as well to rival Totti.
15:12So there will be plenty of very good options in that centre back area.
15:15And that's why pre-season for a lot of players is really important, but maybe none more so than someone like Juerza Mosquera.
15:22It's his opportunity now to come good on all of this expectation that's been there.
15:28He's done so well out on loan.
15:30The expectations have been high and the injuries have derailed him.
15:33If he can stay fit and have a full season at Wolves, it could be a really, really special campaign for him.
15:38But it all starts with the next few days, going into Portugal, going into friendlies in England, and then into Spain.
15:45And hopefully he can really start to rival Matt Doherty and the rest of the players.
15:50Yeah, and look, Nelson Semedo is a free agent.
15:52So that contract is still on the table as we believe it to be a four year deal.
15:57But the longer this goes on, Liam, and the longer that Wolves do not sign a right wing back,
16:02you just wonder whether that might play into Juerza Mosquera's hands indirectly
16:06because you've got to think that Matt Doherty could be the person to move across.
16:10We all know how well he's done there.
16:12And he's very confident in the position in his first spell at Wolves.
16:16And, of course, he's played there during his second spell as well.
16:19So if he moves across, V Tupperware knows what he can do at centre back.
16:23I think Juerza Mosquera will get an extended look.
16:25And just by Nelson Semedo's absence and Wolves potentially not signing so on,
16:29I expect that they will do.
16:30But whether that gives them enough time to bed in for the start of the season, you do not know.
16:34You could quite easily see Matt Doherty at that right wing back slot.
16:38And then Juerza Mosquera slotting in on that right hand side of defence.
16:42And particularly with the transfer window going into the first few weeks of the season as well.
16:46As you say, we could very easily see Mosquera and Dock both starting the season
16:51while Wolves are still looking to fill that gap.
16:53And if Mosquera has a good start to the campaign and recovers well,
16:57and they do then sign a wing back if Semedo doesn't stick around,
17:00it could be Dock that loses out altogether and Mosquera keeps his place.
17:05But there's lots of ifs and buts there.
17:07Wolves have to bring some senior players in.
17:08They have to address those issues.
17:10But to have Mosquera hopefully fit and firing relatively quickly
17:15will be a major plus for Vito Pereira.
17:17Let's look at three more players.
17:19Next on the list is Marshall Manezzi.
17:22Came in in January and did a great job, I think.
17:25Yes, there were some issues there.
17:26He needs to improve his finishing.
17:27But I think we all know that his overall work rate,
17:30the time that he spends and he spends most of the time on the pitch,
17:34more than 90 minutes.
17:35He's a starter, but he's not substituted because of the ground that he covers.
17:39We both think, I think, he's more of an eight,
17:41more of a centre midfielder.
17:42But of course, he did play as a left-hand side forward
17:45or played very close to Jürgen Strand-Larsen
17:49when Matthias Kunjew was suspended.
17:51And that had an indirect, or direct, I guess,
17:54combination of Jürgen Strand-Larsen doing very, very well
17:59and scoring a lot of goals.
18:01However, Wolves looking for forwards for Lopez has joined already.
18:06We think there's going to be more to come.
18:08I just wonder, again, whether Marshall Manezzi
18:10could be one of those players who are on the outside looking
18:13and he'll want to have a starting spot.
18:14I think we know that Vito Pereira likes him.
18:16But has he got a starting spot in the team for Manchester City
18:22at this moment in time, would you say?
18:25Well, I mean, if they don't make any more forward signings,
18:28they may have to start in that front three.
18:30But as you say, we would expect them to make, you know,
18:32a few more additions in those areas.
18:34And my worry for Manezzi is that I'm not sure there's necessarily
18:38a place in the 11 for him going into next season
18:41if the signings arrive as they should do.
18:43Because Jao Gomez and Andre in midfield, I think, are the obvious two.
18:47I think it was more of a means to an end having Manezzi playing
18:52in those 10s to get Wolves through and staying up last season.
18:56I don't necessarily think that Vito or Wolves see him in those positions moving forward.
19:00I think he did a lot of good work in there.
19:02And I think he'll have a big role to play next season as a really good squad player.
19:06I don't know whether he'll necessarily be someone,
19:08particularly as we both think he should be a midfielder more than anything,
19:12that starts every single week.
19:14Again, we talk about challenges and opportunities.
19:16That's the challenge for him.
19:17Look, he's an experienced player.
19:18He's a really, really good character, good person to have around the place.
19:23He's a really good worker, a really good professional,
19:27someone who, as we've spoken about numerous times, does the hard yards on the pitch.
19:32So for Wolves to get through a season, they're going to need Marshall Manezzi a hell of a lot of times,
19:37whether that's from the start or from the bench.
19:39I don't think he necessarily is going to have a starting position consistently throughout the whole season.
19:45But that's the challenge for him now.
19:47And that's where the preseason starts.
19:48Look, it's a first preseason for him in a Wolves shirt, as it is for a few players.
19:53And he's got an opportunity to take his claim.
19:56And that's what you've got to try and do.
19:59And essentially, you look on the left, you look on the right,
20:02and someone who's in a very similar position to him,
20:05and that's Jean-Ricne Bellegarde, who we didn't know what was going to happen with Jean-Ricne Bellegarde last season,
20:10out and in.
20:11But I think he had his best season in the Wolves shirt,
20:13his most consistent season for a decent amount of games,
20:16where he's playing definitely the best football that I've seen in his Wolves career.
20:20I'm pretty certain.
20:21Strong, took on play.
20:23It was almost like a different Jean-Ricne Bellegarde,
20:25very much a confident person and providing assists, scoring some goals,
20:29and just a couple of man-of-the-match displays.
20:32And we all thought, goodness me, where has this player been for the last couple of seasons?
20:36But yeah, really good, really strong.
20:38Played on that right-hand side, can cut in.
20:40I still think he's probably more comfortable central.
20:43Maybe in a number eight as well, but that depends on consistency,
20:48maybe in a midfield three, I think.
20:50And they might have to pivot to a midfield three this season.
20:52You don't know.
20:53It's not just going to be João Gomez and Andre playing horses for courses.
20:57But another person who you think, Liam,
20:59probably not in that starting lineup if we're picking it today,
21:03but we'll want to be in and around that Vito Pereira's thinking.
21:08Yeah.
21:09And it makes it difficult for Vito Pereira, if he agrees with me,
21:13and he may not.
21:14There's every chance.
21:16With Jean-Ricne Bellegarde, similar to Minetzi,
21:19I see him perhaps more as a central midfielder,
21:22or at least that eighth position.
21:23I think in a three, he'd be fantastic, as you've mentioned.
21:27But I thought he did really well in those two positions.
21:30He had some good games in the front three as well,
21:32but I don't think him playing out wide is his position at all.
21:35Obviously, the narrow tens do give him more of a license to play
21:38in the way that I think suits him.
21:40And I think he probably starts the season in those wide ten positions,
21:43particularly if always haven't brought in enough forwards
21:46and how quickly they can bring those players in.
21:48So, again, for Bellegarde, if he does start the season,
21:53the challenge for him is keeping his place
21:55because we know inconsistency has crept into his game
21:58on far too many occasions.
22:00Excuse me.
22:01I'm getting all emotional about Bellegarde.
22:03The inconsistency is the major issue with him.
22:06He had those running games last season.
22:08They did really well, but you need to do that over a 38 game
22:11or as close to as possible basis.
22:14So that's the issue, really, from my perspective.
22:17But I think, again, as a squad player, someone who in preseason
22:20will probably get a few opportunities early on
22:22because of other players not being around or coming back late,
22:25and he's got to take them straight away.
22:27Yeah.
22:28All these players, obviously, have been at Wolves already.
22:30One person who's a newbie is the new signing, Phil Lopez.
22:33He's going to take time to bed in.
22:34You've got to give him time, I think, to find his strengths,
22:38his weaknesses, but spent a lot of money on him, 19.5 million pounds.
22:42So it's very difficult when he's the only signing so far.
22:45There's obviously going to be a lot of eyes on him.
22:48I'm sure we'll be making sure that we run the rule as well.
22:51But Vito Perel wants to see him scoring goals.
22:55We want to see him where he's best fits, whether it's that left-hand side,
22:57whether it can be as a second striker.
23:00It's yet to be seen.
23:02You would think that he would need time, but like I say, 19.5 million pounds.
23:05That's a very expensive bench player.
23:07So do you expect him to be a starter?
23:09And is this going to be a very important next two to three weeks for Phil Lopez?
23:13Yeah, you've got to try and find the right balance here,
23:15because in my opinion, based on his experience, not talent experience,
23:19he's probably not quite a starter in the Premier League as it stands,
23:23but they've also spent 19.5 million pounds on him.
23:25And you're going to expect a return on that investment relatively quickly.
23:29So he's got to try and find that right balance as well
23:32and try and deal with that pressure.
23:34He's a very talented player.
23:35I think we'll see a lot of him next season.
23:37Is it going to be from the start consistently?
23:39I'm not quite sure.
23:40But we're excited to see him in preseason.
23:42We'll be bringing all the latest on that when we're over there as well.
23:44And I can't wait to see exactly what he brings.
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