Thoughts so far

This is a Q&A I was asked to do for the Birmingham City match day programme, which ultimately wasn't fully used:

What have you made of the transfers in and out at Wolves during the close season?

Very exciting so far! João Teixeira and Jón Daði Böðvarsson have both started well. If Prince Oniangué, Sílvio and Hélder Costa can make as big an initial impact as those two have, then I think all Wolves fans will be very pleased. It appears that we have identified the weaknesses in the squad and have moved to strengthen them. In terms of players leaving, the only first team player we’ve lost is Kevin McDonald, who I always felt was an excellent player, but was perhaps coming towards the end of his time at Wolves.

From what you have seen of him so far, do you think Walter Zenga will make a success of his job as the new head coach?

So far so good. He made good changes in the first game when we were losing and down to 10 men, for us to fight back for a draw, and we were impressive last week against Reading. We have two groups of players in our squad – young, English players, and the foreign signings who have recently come in. Knitting these together will be his biggest task.

Do you think the recent events off the field at Molineux will get the club moving in the right direction?

The club had stagnated under Steve Morgan, and a lot of Wolves fans were readying themselves for a relegation battle this season. Fosun seem to have brought with them a raft of new contacts, as evidenced by the clear change in transfer strategy. I think at the moment, most Wolves fans are very excited about the future, albeit with a little nervousness.

How impressed have you been with Wolves during the opening week of the season?

It’s been a bit of a mixed bag so far. The fact that we were 2-0 away at Rotherham, just 20 minutes into the new season was offset by the fact we fought back to 2-2, despite having Dominic Iorfa sent off. Last week’s 2-0 win against Reading was excellent, but then we struggled against a workmanlike Ipswich side.

Who do you think will be the key players in the Wolves side this season?

It’s a little difficult to know at the moment, given the large shake up in the playing staff. We are all looking forward to getting Jordan Graham and Nouha Dicko back into the first team squads; they both suffered horrible injuries last season and were badly missed. I think a lot will depend on how our young defence improves, and whether Dominic Iorfa can continue to develop into a top defender.