Following months of speculation, Wolves said goodbye to Pedro Neto during the summer transfer window.
Chelsea accepted an offer of £54 million for the Portuguese winger, making the deal too good to pass up.
Wolves released Neto after five years, challenging Gary O’Neil to replace him during the summer transfer window.
The management knew he wouldn’t be able to find a true replacement for the 24-year-old, but Rodrigo Gomes and Carlos Forbs stepped in to fill the vacuum.
Gary O’Neil called on Jean-Ricner Bellegarde before Pedro Neto left Wolves
The manager praised the young combination, but Jean-Ricner Bellegarde usurped Neto’s spot in the first six games of the season.
During that period, the Frenchman scored twice and assisted once in Wolves’ 1-1 tie with Nottingham Forest.
Before the season began, both supporters and O’Neil expected more from the £13 million arrival in 2023.
According to Express and Star, O’Neil discussed Bellegarde’s future role with him at the close of last season and believes he will be crucial for the team this season.
The manager went on to highlight the necessity of Bellegarde stepping up in Neto’s absence, which Wolves had anticipated even before the winger was transferred.
“We knew that Pedro might leave and it may open things up more for him, and he needed to stay injury free and in a good spot.”
The former Strasbourg star has impressed at times during his Wolves career, and it is evident that the 26-year-old’s next step is to establish consistency.
O’Neil wants Bellegarde to contribute to more goals
O’Neil specifically wants Bellegarde to be consistent in one area, as the manager has called on his signing to score and assist more.
“He’s had a decent start but I want to keep pushing him for more goal involvements and more quality in the final third, but he’s working very hard,” says O’Neil.
“The game has gone that way and you do need to be able to cope with the physicality of the Premier League.”
The manager then highlighted the necessity of having the strength to play in the English Premier League, stressing that finding another means to impress will be’very difficult’.
“It’s really tough to compensate for a lack of physicality. You must be exceptionally good at something else.”
O’Neil has set a challenge for Bellegarde, something the player was aware of before to Neto’s departure, with Wolves expecting more from the dynamic midfielder very soon.
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