Wolverhampton Wanderers

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Max Kilman's departure to West Ham United means Wolves will have a new captain for the start of the 2024-25 campaign.

Who are the contenders to wear the armband next season?

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Mario Lemina has excelled in Wolves' midfield since joining from Nice in January 2023.

His all-action, combative displays have endeared him to Wolves fans, who voted him as their player of the season in 2023-24.

Lemina led Wolves out in their pre-season friendly win against Como in Spain on Monday.

Image source, Getty Images

Aged 34, Craig Dawson is the oldest outfield player in Wolves' squad and is vastly experienced, having made 288 Premier League appearances in his career.

Dawson's organisational and leadership qualities were key to the team avoiding relegation in 2022-23 and the side's progression under Gary O'Neil last season.

Image source, Getty Images

Matheus Cunha

Wolves' leading scorer last season with 14 goals in all competitions, the Brazil international forward is clearly popular among the fan base and his team-mates alike.

A pivotal player in Wolves' attack, he also played a key role in Wolves' acquisition of Brazilian teenager Pedro Lima this summer.

Any other contenders?

Portugal right-back Nelson Semedo was the players' choice for player of the season last term and has been part of a wider leadership group at the club for the past year.

Jose Sa has been almost ever-present in goal during his three seasons with Wolves, while 23-year-old Joao Gomes is now a regular starter in Brazil's midfield and highly thought of - could the next stage of his development be in a leadership role at Molineux?

Pick who you think should be the next skipper at Molineux here

Huddersfield Town are in talks to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Joe Hodge, who spent last season on loan at QPR. (Football Insider, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan says his fellow players told him they would leave the pitch when he suffered alleged racist abuse in a pre-season friendly.

The club are pursuing their complaint against Como, while the Italian club say they do not consider the reference racist and that "the reaction of certain Wolves players has seen the incident blown out of proportion".

On Instagram, external, Hwang has posted a picture of himself on the pitch with the caption: "Racism is intolerable in sports and in all aspects of life.

"After the incident, the coaching staff and my teammates immediately told me that they would leave the field with me if needed, and they kept checking on my wellbeing.

"I am very grateful to my teammates once again."

Hwang continued: "Despite of all this, I wanted to carry on and we did what we had to do on the pitch! Lastly, thank you to everyone who sent supportive messages.

"There is no room for racism."

Image source, Getty Images

The football never stops.

Euro 2024 has barely finished but Premier League clubs have already started turning their attention to pre-season friendlies.

The games are spread across the globe, from Tokyo and New York to Sligo and Crawley.

So who will your team face? And when and where are the matches?

Keep across all the fixtures and results here

Image source, Wolves via Getty Images

Wolves beat Italian side Como 1-0 in a pre-season friendly during their training camp in Spain.

Matt Doherty headed Wolves' second-half winner from a Rayan Ait-Nouri free-kick, against a Como team that will play in Serie A next season.

Wolves are leading the race to sign Sheffield United's £20m-rated defender Anel Ahmedhodzic to replace 27-year-old Englishman Max Kilman, who joined West Ham United. (Sun), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Wolverhampton Wanderers have rejected a £21m bid from Marseille for striker Hwang Hee-chan.

The Ligue 1 side, managed by former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi, have been told the South Korea international is not for sale.

Marseille are looking for a new striker after selling Vitinha to Genoa and Iliman Ndiaye to Everton.

Hwang moved to Molineux from RB Leipzig, initially on loan, in 2021 and has scored 22 goals in 94 appearances, including 13 last season.

Wolves have already boosted their forward line after signing striker Jorgen Strand Larsen from Celta Vigo on an initial loan deal, before an expected £23m transfer once certain clauses are triggered during the season.

Gary O'Neil's side are under no pressure to sell their stars after captain Max Kilman's £40m departure to West Ham earlier this month.

They would like to move on Fabio Silva and Goncalo Guedes, who were on loan at Rangers and Villarreal respectively last season.

The pair have not travelled to Marbella with the squad for pre-season training.

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Wolves defender Craig Dawson says "it is nice to be back and feeling fit," after undergoing groin surgery.

The 34-year-old missed the final 12 matches of last season due to injury but has now returned to training to prepare for the new Premier League campaign.

"It was obviously disappointing to pick up an injury, but it was good to get it fixed," he told the club website. "To feel fit and be back on the training pitch is the main thing.

"I was just disappointed not to be able to play because in my career I have not really had any injuries, so I was disappointed to pick one up and it was tough watching the back end of the season. It is nice to be back involved, back with the lads, and feeling fit.

"Throughout my career I’ve always played, injured or not, and I’ve given everything for the team. I did that towards the end, but it got to a point where we had to look a bit longer term and I needed the operation.

"It was a long operation, six or seven hours, so feeling fit again is nice. It is nice to be back and involved with the lads."

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First-team coach Shaun Derry says Wolves' Marbella training camp "is an opportunity to bring the squad together and build relationships" before the the start of another busy Premier League campaign.

It is also manager Gary O'Neil's first full pre-season with the club after he took charge just days before the start of the last campaign.

"It is about the time we spend on the training pitch," Derry told the club website, external. "This is getting the fitness levels back and making sure you understand you can't go too quickly into pre-season.

"From a football perspective, they will be building relationships on the pitch, but it is so important to build them off it as well. It will be interesting from a coaching perspective, just seeing where they sit at the tables and the relationships they build off the pitch."

Not all of the squad have travelled to Marbella due to international commitments, which Derry says is in itself is "quite complex" to navigate.

"To organise a pre-season, you have to take into consideration what the last six weeks have looked like," Derry added. "The Euros and Copa America are still taking place and the boys have played international games over the summer.

"It is a staggered approach coming back to pre-season and once the latter stages come to light, around the America tour, you get all your players back and you can push forward towards the start of the season."

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Wolverhampton Wanderers have rejected a £50,000 bid from Arsenal for goalkeeper Daniel Bentley.

The Gunners are looking for a back-up for David Raya, with doubts surrounding Aaron Ramsdale's future.

But their offer falls well short of Wolves' valuation, especially as Gary O'Neil's side would need to source a replacement.

Wolves start their Premier League campaign on 17 August at Arsenal and would only have Tom King, who joined from Northampton last year, as senior support for number one Jose Sa.

Ramsdale's position at Arsenal is uncertain after he lost his place to Raya last season. He made just six Premier League appearances, and 11 in all competitions, having joined from Sheffield United in 2021.

Bentley, who joined Wolves from Bristol City in January 2023, made just five Premier League appearances last season.

The 30-year-old is in Spain on Wolves' pre-season training camp before they fly to the USA for games against West Ham United, Crystal Palace and RB Leipzig.

The Gunners also face Bournemouth, Manchester United and Liverpool in the States.

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest are both interested in Le Havre's 22-year-old French defender Etienne Youte Kinkoue. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Wolves' Matheus Cunha has had a busy summer.

The forward has found time to get married, give back to the people of his city and act as "a new agent" in persuading Wolves' new right-back Pedro Lima to join the club.

On getting married in the summer, Cunha said: “It was really emotional – I cried a lot! I saw all my family there, my son, and it was very beautiful. My wife was amazing. It was a beautiful moment."

Cunha spent some of the off season at home in Brazil where he spent time giving back to the people of the city.

"I have the opportunity to be someone who represents the people, to encourage the kids to go for their dreams, and it’s a different feeling," he said.

He has been awarded the medal of Joao Pessoa, the Brazilian equivalent of the freedom of the city, and said: "It’s a great honour to be this guy, and I’m really grateful for everything that has happened in my life.”

Cunha has played a key role in Lima joining Wolves this summer. The 25-year-old said of the signing: “It's not normal to even have one player to come from this region, this city, and I’m here, so to have two players from the same city at the same club, it’s unbelievable."

Former Wolves captain and defender Danny Batth is back at the club and training with the under-21s after leaving Norwich City. (Express & Star), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

We asked for your views on club captain Max Kilman leaving Wolves to join West Ham United after a six-year stint at Molineux.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Rob: It was probably a good time to sell Kilman. He had a pretty good season but struggled when we lost Craig Dawson through injury for the final 10-12 games or so. Under the current ownership, Wolves will be a selling club and every player has a price. I think £40m is a great price and it also fantastic for Maidenhead too. However, getting a good replacement is the challenge.

Shaun: He's proved to be a great signing but hasn't really kicked on in the last couple of seasons. He looked vulnerable in a back four and he hasn't really got the personality of a captain. It was a deal that couldn't be turned down, with a fee of that quantum and the chance to sign a more vocal player who could enable us to play a back four when required.

Dave: The Kilman sale was excellent business from Wolves. Max has been very reliable but he looks better when alongside a Craig Dawson or Conor Coady type leader. He never convinced me he was a captain, he was just not vocal enough. I'll be happy to see him go if we keep our more important players like Ait-Nouri and bring in a replacement centre-back.

John: Players come and players go. Wolves need a much bigger squad, so hopefully Gary O'Neil and our owners can get in what we need for a top 10 finish.

Dairve: From a football perspective, it is obviously a blow. From a business viewpoint, it is an excellent deal. Sadly we're not in the minority of clubs who can seemingly spend without consequence, and therefore deals like this are a vital part of Wolves' model for Premier League survival.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Max Kilman will leave a hole in the Wolves defence, having been integral to the side's resilience in recent years.

Kilman played every minute of all 38 Premier League games last season, with William Saliba of Arsenal the only other outfield player to achieve the feat.

However, now it will be West Ham who benefit from his reliability, his £40m move reuniting him with former Molineux boss Julen Lopetegui, who made him captain while Wolves head coach.

Wolves have plans in place and were prepared for this eventuality, though.

It is a huge fee for a 27-year-old who cost just £40,000 from Maidenhead in 2018 and represents a stunning deal for the club.

Ultimately, it was too good to turn down and helps fund deals already done for Rodrigo Gomes and Pedro Lima, while Wolves will be able to reinvest some of the cash for Kilman's replacement.

Gary O'Neil has his targets and Wolves will need a solution alongside the ever-dependable Craig Dawson.

It is not ideal but they still have five weeks to prepare, while there is a pre-season trip to Spain next week.

They could face an immediate reunion with Kilman in a friendly against the Hammers, as well as fixtures against Crystal Palace and RB Leipzig in the nited States.

Club captain and centre-back Max Kilman has left Wolves and joined West Ham for £40m.

The 27-year-old made 151 appearances across his seven seasons at Molineux and was not a player Gary O'Neil was actively looking to offload this summer.

So how are you feeling? How much of a loss will the skipper be? And who could replace him?

Let us know your thoughts here, external

Arsenal are set to make a move for Wolves goalkeeper Dan Bentley. (Express & Star), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Nathan Fraser has signed a new contract until 2028, with the option to extend for a further year.

The 19-year-old came through the Wolves academy set-up before breaking into Gary O'Neil's first-team squad last season.

Fraser joined Wolves at the age of seven and made 10 appearances in 2023-24, scoring against Blackpool in the Carabao Cup and in the FA Cup against Brentford.

Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs said: "Nathan has been here a long time, so it's nice for him to be able to continue his journey with us.

"The plan this season will be for Nathan to go out on loan. I think it is important - now he's had a taste of men's football - that he gets as much game time as possible under his belt in the league.

"It will be a case of getting him out playing games this year and seeing how he develops doing that."

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport Football News Reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Wolves have held informal talks with head coach Gary O’Neil about a new deal.

Nothing has been agreed yet and the nature of the conversations have been relaxed but there is a desire to get the deal done and it is expected it would be an easy one to finalise.

Sporting director Matt Hobbs said in March the club would speak with O’Neil, who has two years left on his current deal, about a new contract at the end of the season.

Wolves and O’Neil are relaxed with the situation and are currently focused on the transfer window, meaning any agreement is not imminent and may not even come before the start of the new campaign, which kicks off at Arsenal on 16 August.

O’Neil took Wolves to 14th in the Premier League last season having been appointed five days before their opening game at Manchester United after Julen Lopetegui left Molineux in frustration at the recruitment policy.

They were competing for Europe and reached the FA Cup quarter final in March only to lose 3-2 at home to Coventry.

After that Wolves lost eight of their final 11 games – winning once – to tumble out of European contention.