Gary O’Neil believes there could still be deals to be done by Wolves on transfer deadline day after giving his thoughts on the capture of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace.
With less than 24 hours to go before the Old Gold are back in Premier League action following their first win of the season in the Carabao Cup during midweek, the head coach admits the ins and outs during the transfer window, as well as the results in Wolves’ opening fixtures could see a change of tact if they are to open their league account at the City Ground.
On deadline day moves
“The guys are working hard, and they will do right up until the close, so we're not done. We've not turned the lights off and shut the door. We're still working very hard upstairs to do anything that might become available to us.
“They are potentially a couple of outs as well, maybe loans and things, so I'm sure there'll still be a thing or two going on from the club.”
On signing Sam Johnstone
“I’m pleased, really pleased. He’s a good signing and gives us real good competition in that area of the pitch. Dan and Jose have played games already this season for us, but Sam adds to that group, adds real quality to that group as well, and experience. We are really pleased to get that one done.
“He’ll be in the squad tomorrow, he'll be involved. Everything's been done in time, and he's settled in fine. It’s not like it's a big move from the other side of the world, it’s just down the road. He's fine and he's ready to go tomorrow.
“I would expect [Sa] still to be here by the end of the window. There’s only a day left. He knows the situation, he knows that in every position on the pitch you need to fight to earn the starting place, and it's better that we have an extra good goalie than not, so Sam joins and Jose, Sam, Dan and Kingy will all train as hard as they can, I'm sure, to impress and show us which one should play in goal.”
Your new home, @samjohnstone 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/MkdyXiaixT
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 30, 2024
On Traore’s injury
“Bouba will be out for a little while. He'll potentially need some surgery on his knee, the extent of which we're not 100 per cent sure, but it'll be a few months, I would think. It’s disappointing, because he's a great, great guy.
“I love what he brings to the group, so he'll be really missed. Hopefully once we get all of the reports back, it's the best it can be and the timeframe is as short as possible. But, at the moment, he’s not available for the weekend and will be out for a little while.”
On having a flexible system
“I've started to look, as the window has gone on around, whether what I'm asking is going to suit what we're going to end up with in the building. My job is to get the best out of the group. That's the job of a head coach, to get the best out of the ones that are in the building.
“We maybe put some things in place for who we felt might be here, and it might look a little bit different to that. With the international break, the close of the window, it gives me a good opportunity to look at exactly where we are and exactly what we have – sort of like I did when I first walked in the building with only a few days to go before the first game.
“We need to have a look at the group and what we think it can and can't do, and what best suits it, because there's a lot of talent in there. But it’s pointless me trying to shoehorn people into jobs that don’t suit them. Maybe it’s just an assessment and a rethink, off the back of the window closing and international break approaching.”
Wishing you a speedy recovery, @BoubaTraore_8 💛
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 30, 2024
On bouncing back from last weekend
“We've spoken to the players about the mistakes that were made in the in the Chelsea game. Crazy, crazy mistakes. We suffer a 6-2 loss, but without those uncharacteristic errors from us, the game was never 6-2. It gets away from us at the end and Chelsea punish us with huge quality. But statistics and things around the game show that there was not as much in it as the scoreline would suggest.
“We played Arsenal and Chelsea, and three of those halves, we've been very, very competitive in against two of the best sides in the league. I'm sure Chelsea will be a lot higher up this year than they were last year with what they managed to do. We’re a resilient group, and we need to be a resilient group. We went through some tough spells last season and we have probably the one of the toughest starts to a Premier League campaign ever with the fixture list we’ve been given, so we have to understand they’ll be some tough spells in this.
“Do we expect conceding four goals in a half of football at home? No, we don’t. We’ve discussed how and why that managed to happen to us, but we approach Nottingham Forest knowing we have a big game ahead of us and we start at nil-nil, so whatever happened in the last one is done and gone.”
On the threat of Forest
“They’re a good side. I would guess the expectation around Nottingham is for the group to be finishing high up the league because they’ve done some fantastic business, they have some great players, and of course we need to find our own way of going there and being competitive. It’s an opportunity for us to go away from home and show what we’re made of, and put our first win on the board, but it’s still a tough game.
“Every time I’ve been to Nottingham Forest, even with clubs that I played for, it always felt quite feisty. There’s obviously a little bit extra there between these two clubs, but I would expect it to feel like a big game. For us, off the back off the two losses, before a big win and a great performance in the cup in the week, and Nottingham Forest wanting to get their first home win, I expect it to feel like a big game inside the stadium.
“We need to be ready to stand up and be counted because I’m sure they’ll be looking to come at us at home and test what we’re made of. We’ll be tested but I’m confident and have real faith in the lads that they’re ready for what tomorrow takes.”
