Vitor Pereira’s time at Wolverhampton Wanderers so far has been something of a success. It was a poor start to the season for the Old Gold, who found themselves in the relegation zone for the majority of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.
However, their new boss, Pereira, has turned things around in what was a season that seemed destined to end in relegation. His side have won two games, drawn one and lost one so far during his tenure, with the best performance arguably being a 2-0 win over Manchester United.
The entire Wolves squad certainly seems rejuvenated since Pereira took charge. One of the payers who seems to have a new lease of life is Goncalo Guedes.
Guedes’ 2024/25 season
It has been a bit of a mixed bag so far for Guedes in the 2024/25 campaign. Under former manager Gary O’Neil, he was a bit part player and did not really get many opportunities from the start. Having said that, his Premier League record for the season under the former Wolves boss was good, with four goals and assists.
Under the new Old Gold manager Pereira, who, like Guedes, comes from Portugal, he has started three out of four games and made one appearance off the bench.
In the first game of his tenure, Guedes scored and assisted in a 3-0 win away to Leicester City. His tally for the season is now two goals and four assists in 17 games.
In Wolves’ most recent game against Nottingham Forest at Molineux, the former Barcelona star struggled, and showed the kind of form he was in under O’Neil.
He received a 5/10 from Charlie Haffenden, a journalist for Birmingham World. He was critical of the fact Guedes lost the ball in the lead-up to Forest’s opener, scored by Morgan Gibbs-White.
With inconsistencies like that from Guedes, it might be a concern for Pereira, who will need players to sustain good form for longer. The Portuguese boss might well want to bring in a new signing to play as one of those number 10s, who can perhaps replace Guedes long-term.
They have been linked with one player who could be the answer.
Wolves’ dream Guedes replacement
The player in question here is Newcastle United star Miguel Almiron. As reported earlier this week, the Old Gold are one of three Premier League clubs who have been offered the chance to sign him this winter.
They are likely to face competition from fellow top-flight strugglers Crystal Palace and Leicester for his signature. In terms of a price for the Paraguayan winger, he could cost upwards of £21m this January.
There is an argument to suggest that Almiron would not be much of an upgrade on Guedes given the fact he has yet to score or assist this season in 11 games in the Premier League. Eddie Howe has played him for just 136 top-flight minutes this term.
With that being said, there is clear evidence that Almiron can explode in the Premier League when given a chance. The Paraguayan forward once scored 11 goals and grabbed two assists in 34 games across a single season, in 2022/23.
That far exceeds Guedes’ best campaign in the English top flight, the current campaign where he has six goal involvements. Statistically, when comparing the two seasons via Squawka, they are actually fairly similar.
The pair draw level when it comes to the number of goals per 90 minutes, with 0.4 each. However, Almiron’s ball-carrying ability stands out. In 2022.23, he averaged 1.4 completed take-ons per game compared to Guedes’ 0.6 this season. The Newcastle star also averages more ball recoveries, with 5 compared to 3.6 for the Old Gold attacker.
Stat (per 90)
Almiron 2022/23
Guedes 2024/25
Goals
0.4
0.4
Conversion rate
25%
25%
Chances created
0.9
1.8
Take-ons completed
1.4
0.6
Take-on success rate
53.52%
23.08%
Ball recoveries
5
3.6
Perhaps adding Almiron to that squad, ultimately replacing Guedes – who has been linked with a January exit in recent months – would add a little bit more attacking threat to this Wolves side. As football statistician Statman Dave said, he can be a “handful for defenders”.
Whilst they are close in their goal involvement numbers per game, the Paraguayan can go on a fruitful run, as he has shown previously.
For £21m, this seems like a really smart investment and one that could help Wolves survive the drop and build on that in the seasons to come under Pereira.
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