The former Blackburn Rovers and England forward, speaking exclusively to wolves.co.uk, praised the impact Nuno Espirito Santo has had on the club since his arrival in the summer of 2017, as well as believing Wolves have the talent to break into the top six next season.
Chris, have you been impressed with Wolves' performances this season, especially considering it’s the club’s first season back in the Premier League?
“It’s hard not to be impressed with Wolves this season. Obviously, they spent a bit of money during the summer, but it’s the way they’ve spent it which has been really impressive.
“You look at their record this season, especially against the top teams in the division, and they’ve been an absolute credit to the league. The brand of football they play, they’ve got some outstanding footballers, and what’s really important now is that the players are committed to Wolves for the future.
“For a team to come up from the Championship and show the maturity that they have in the Premier League, as well as make it to an FA Cup semi-final, it must be such an exciting time to be a Wolves supporter.
“I’ve been a big fan of Wolves this season and it would have been nice for them to have gone that extra step in the cup, because being four-time winners of the FA Cup, it would have been good to improve their recent history in the competition.
“But what Wolves have done this season has been a testament to the manager and the job that he has done at the club since he took over.”
How important do you feel Nuno has been to Wolves’ revival in the two years he has been in charge at Molineux?
“There was huge pressure on Nuno coming in to Wolves, coupled with expectations from the owners, and although he brought in players like Neves and Jota when he took over, I don’t think anybody could have foreseen the transformation in the team in such a short space of time.
“This club has a great history and it’s good to see it firmly back on its feet. It seems to be a club going somewhere, but the difficulty will be the expectations next season.
“I hope there is a realisation among the supporters that now Wolves have got to this stage that it’s going to be difficult to break into the top six.
“I do think that what Nuno’s built so far, from the players which he has at his disposal, that it’s a very exciting time ahead.
“On countless occasions this season Wolves have proven, against the big sides, that it’s not a one-off when they go head-to-head with the top six. They’ve beaten Manchester United twice in two weeks, they’ve beaten Chelsea, beaten Spurs at Wembley, beaten Arsenal, put up a good show against City, played United off the park at Old Trafford and knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup.
“You can’t do anything but congratulate Wolves on their season.”
What do you think should be the aim for Wolves heading into next season?
“I think progression next season would be in terms of getting better results against the bottom teams, because they certainly have the talent within the squad to improve.
“The way Wolves play and the way they set-up, I think they’re well suited for sides who get on to them because they like to play counter attacking football.
“If they can replicate their form against the top six and improve their form against the bottom six, then, this is quite an incredible thing to say – but I think you could see them breaking in to the top six.
“But what they have shown this season is down to Nuno’s organisation, the recruitment, and the very good players they have at the club.
“With what they’ve done this season and the way they have performed, Wolves must be regarded as one of the best teams to have ever come up out of the Championship.”
