What makes a successful 2025 for Wolves?

With the immediate sense of crisis having been dispelled by seven points from the first three games since Vitor Pereira's appointment, there are short and long-term ways to answer this question.

Two years ago, when making a change of coach to rescue their season, Wolves committed significant sums in the January window to strengthen Julen Lopetegui's hand.

How much they are prepared to spend this time we will soon know, but they would benefit from using January to rebalance a squad that emerged lopsided from August. At a club seeking to be more prudent, signing an additional midfielder and goalkeeper late in the summer felt indulgent - no matter their pedigree - given most observers felt Wolves' defensive stocks were low following the sale of Max Kilman.

If the re-purposing of Matt Doherty as a centre-back - the most significant tactical change so far under Pereira – becomes regular, maybe that can be avoided, but signing at least one defender would appear necessary.

Further ahead, success this year could be defined as finishing 17th, but here we reach the key issue. Recent missives from club chairman Jeff Shi, while doubtless well-meant, have done little to repair strained relations between Wolves' owners, Fosun and supporters. This is sad, because in the early years after their takeover Fosun were adored. They encouraged supporters to dream big, and started to make those dreams real. Whatever the reason, the outlook has changed.

Is merely existing in the league, as frugally as possible, enough? And enough for who? The idea that a club should be financially "self-sustaining" is not unreasonable. Most other businesses ultimately have to be.

But, in a sport where economics often appear to defy the financial gravity that governs the rest of the world, it is devilishly difficult - and few manage it.

Signing players before they are ripe for the first team, with a view to long-term profit, is financially smart, but in football you also have to make it work today.

Pereira's predecessors have made their frustrations clear. So have supporters. It would be a success for Wolves if 2025 is the year when the owners, the football management and the supporters can all unify around one agenda again.

Is that even possible now?

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