CAN WOLVES AVOID THE DREADED SECOND-SEASON SYNDROME?

Across a decade and a half, Wolves’ five Premier League finishes were 20th, 15th, 17th, 20th... and 7th. The last of these came in 2018-19 – the highest position of any newly promoted Premier League club since 5th-placed Ipswich in 2000-01. No wonder Molineux feels different these days.

The way Wolves qualified for European competition made the nation sit up and take notice. It wasn’t just about results; Nuno Espirito Santo’s easy-on-the-eye playing style tested the very best. You don’t win six games against the ‘Big Six’ in all competitions within a single season without implementing an identity first.

Every player is comfortable on the ball. Wolves build from the back, then switch play and catch opponents cold with sweeping long passes from centre-halves Ryan Bennett, Conor Coady and Willy Boly out to the wing-backs, Matt Doherty and Jonny. Doherty – the club’s longest-serving player, having joined in 2010 for £70,000 – was a revelation last season, contributing eight goals and eight assists in the league and FA Cup.

In midfield, Portugal internationals Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho, who at £5m was one of the season’s best buys, keep the ball, provide a platform and feed the forwards, Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez.

And yet... concerns about a second-season slump do have merit. The squad is small. Just 17 outfield players touched the ball for Wolves in the 2018-19 Premier League season. That’s how Nuno likes it, but the investment is there for him to use – and Wolves, who have genuine quality that’s the envy of some bigger clubs, are an increasingly attractive proposition to top players. With the Europa League bringing extra matches and a mentally draining Thursday-sunday schedule, Nuno needs more options available to him.

For one thing, even Wanderers’ superb fitness and conditioning team may struggle to keep the stellar starting XI injury-free for a second year running. No team was fitter in 2018-19: while Manchester United racked up 61 individual injuries with a total of 1,392 days lost to the treatment room, Wolves suffered just five injuries, with 88 days lost. With the best will in the world, that incredible record is unlikely to be repeated.

Using the academy will help. Fortunately, Under-17 World Cup winner Morgan Gibbs-white is the tip of the iceberg – Wolves’ under-23s just won Premier League 2 Division 2. Acclimatisation is required, but the return of big European nights to Molineux doesn’t have to mean a domestic tumble down the table.