If Wolverhampton Wanderers are to be relegated from the Premier League this season, they will go down with a fight.
The fight, in large part, is being fuelled by Rob Edwards, whose side have picked up eight points from their past four fixtures and are doomed if not disastrous.
Talk of a record-low points haul has dispersed, making way for fanciful dreams of a great escape.
If Wolves are to pull off the impossible, they will need Mateus Mane lead the way. If they don’t, they will need Mane to lead them back into the big time.
Wolves must keep onto Mane
Mane is a teenager but he’s already coming into his own at Molineux, emerging as one of the leaders at Edwards’ Wolves. He had made one Premier League appearance last term but has now added 19 more to his growing haul, posting two goals and two assists.
Vitor Pereira created something of a feel-good factor last season, but that quickly dissipated after the summer transfer window, with the Old Gold failing to pick up a single win across their first ten Premier League outings.
Edwards has restored something, but this new form has in part been fashioned through a general, wider shift led by the fleet-footed attacker, who already is proving himself to be as versatile as he is flashy.
Mateus Mane – Career Stats by Position
Position
Apps
Goals + Assists
Centre-forward
19
7 + 5
Attacking midfield
16
4 + 2
Central midfield
8
2 + 1
Right wing
4
2 + 2
Left wing
1
0 + 0
While top outfits such as Liverpool and Manchester United are interested in signing him, Fosun have responded by setting a £50m price tag that suitors don’t seem willing to pay.
They must build around the teenage talent next term, but he’s not the only up-and-comer on the rise.
Wolves’ new version of Mane
Mane is right at the start of his professional career, but he’s already stepped up and taken charge of a fightback against the pull of relegation.
It’s crucial, moreover, that Tom Edozie is allowed to create a pathway toward regular first-team football at Molineux, with the young winger having only played once in the Premier League this season but scoring against none other than Arsenal.
It was quite the moment. Up stepped the debutant after poor defending from the travelling title-chasers, who crumbled under pressure. Edozie didn’t wilt when presented with the chance to make it a bow to remember, rifling past David Raya, ricocheting off Riccardo Calafiori and into the netting.
While it’s only a little thing, Edozie also won two duels and a tackle against Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, showcasing a tenacious approach that allowed him to make a dramatic “impact” at the eleventh hour, as was said by journalist Josh Bunting.
While Edozie has yet to earn another minute on the professional stage, he’s demonstrated an ability to flourish in tough circumstances, and four appearances that failed to see him welcomed from the bench since February bespeak a role of more responsibility next season in the Championship.
Whether the right-sided Edozie will nail down a regular starting role remains to be seen, but he’s fast and talented and has already shown he can emulate Mane in becoming a mainstay.
Edwards has already shown that he can cultivate a positive environment in tough conditions, and his willingness to sprinkle youth across the pitch suggests that Edozie might just join Mane in playing a central role at the club next season.
Should Wolves truly be destined for the drop, Edozie should earn further chances to impress and build on his goalscoring debut.
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