Wolves: O’Neil could sign ‘extremely fast’ Neto partner

Wolves could sign a dream partner for Pedro Neto

Wolves have made a slow start to their Premier League campaign having suffered a 1-0 defeat against Manchester United and a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Brighton.

While those results look concerning from the outset, the performance levels paint a different picture.

Across both defeats, Gary O’Neil’s side registered a combined 39 attempts on goal which shows the attacking intent is there without having the goals to show for it.

With that said, news has emerged that Wolves are chasing a Premier League winger on loan to improve their attacking options.

Wolves transfer news – What’s the latest?

Wolves are eyeing up a move for Manchester United’s Facundo Pellistri on loan, according to Uruguayan news outlet LR Uruguay, via Molineux News.

The report states that the Old Gold have joined fellow Premier League clubs, Bournemouth, Luton and Burnley in the race to sign the 21-year-old.

With plenty of interest in the 12-cap Uruguayan, journalist Fabian Bertolini has released an update regarding his future, stating that he could depart Old Trafford in the coming days.

If that is the case, Wolves must negotiate a deal quickly for Pellistri to become their fifth signing of the summer.

How good is Facundo Pellistri?

Given that Wolves have averaged less than a goal per game in the past three seasons, O’Neil is in desperate need of attacking options having seen Raul Jimenez depart and strikers Fabio Silva, Matheus Cunha and Sasa Kalajdzic all struggle for consistency in England’s top-flight.

While Pellistri has never scored a senior goal in the Premier League for Man United or in La Liga for Deportivo Alaves, he does possess the freakish technical and physical attributes that can help Wolves unlock defences and subsequently improve their fortunes in front of goal.

The young Uruguayan prospect was once hailed as an “extremely fast wonderkid” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, and while Pellistri doesn’t just possess frightening pace, his intelligent off-the-ball movement, superb technique and fantastic dribbling skills could see him become a big hit at Molineux.

This is backed up by his impressive performances for Uruguay at the 2022 World Cup. Despite bowing out at the group stage, “the great talent” of Pellistri – as per Kulig – served up a sublime cameo against Portugal as he completed 100% of his crosses, produced two key passes and was accurate with eight of his 11 pass attempts.

Not only that, across three appearances at the World Cup Pellistri rivalled the tournament’s best players for some of his attacking metrics, ranking in the top 1% for carries into the penalty area and progressive passes recorded and top 3% for touches in the attacking box and take-ons attempted, as per FBref.

If Pellistri chooses to join Wolves, the £20k-per-week winger can thrive under the guidance of O’Neil’s counter-attacking style of football as it suits his explosive attributes down to the ground, providing dream competition for Portuguese winger Pedro Neto.

Neto has been back to his best this term after a campaign in 2022/23 that was ravaged by injury. Indeed, he showcased as much against Pellistri’s United on the opening weekend of the campaign, notably playing four key passes, five crosses and completing four of his six dribble attempts.

Thus, should O’Neil be able to pair both of them on the wings, it would surely be a tantalising proposition at Molineux.

That said, despite showcasing his talents on the world stage, the 5 foot 9 Uruguayan has never translated his impressive attacking metrics across to club level and this is why a loan move is imperative for his development.

Pellistri didn’t score or assist during a loan spell at Alaves in the 21/22 season and has since only made 13 appearances for Man United, recording one assist.

While his previous exertions don’t provide much hope, he’s clearly highly rated in Manchester and that is why the club are open to letting him leave on loan, rather than permanently.