Wolves chairman Jeff Shi has sparked further controversy after making a harsh statement regarding Gary O’Neil’s current squad.
It has not been the finest of weeks for Wolves, who have faced criticism for boosting season ticket prices dramatically ahead of the new campaign.
Fans of the club were outraged when they learned of the price increases, with Jeff Shi becoming a villain for his unwanted comments to supporters at the time. Now, the chairman has sparked more controversy by expressing his thoughts on Wolves’ ambitions for the summer transfer window, including his assessment of Gary O’Neil’s existing squad.
Shi highlighted his belief that O’Neil’s 14th-place performance is an improvement over Nuno Santo’s squad between 2018 and 2020, which few would agree with.
Jeff Shi believes Gary O’Neil’s Wolves squad outperforms Nuno Santo’s. However, his reasoning for comparing the two squads may be unclear to others.
“I believe our current squad is superior than the one from 2018-2020.
“In the Premier League, there are roughly 10-14 clubs at a similar level; the place in the table relies on several things, but it’s not the only measure to rate a team’s
The Wolves chairman was bold to make such a statement, considering the achievements of Nuno’s side between those years, with promotion to the Premier League, consecutive seventh-place finishes and a Europa League run achieved.
While O’Neil’s squad deserves credit for their work to keep the Old Gold in the top flight after the pressures of last summer, it’s a bizarre statement for Shi to claim the Englishman’s side is better.
Gary O’Neil would love to have Nuno Santo’s Wolves squad of 2018-2020
The current squad at Molineux is stacked full of top-quality talent, however, depth is sparse below the surface of the favoured XI. Besides the achievements of Nuno’s side in the 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns, the Portuguese coach had an abundance of talent to work with, including the likes of Raul Jimenez, Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota.
Of course, O’Neil has his answers to possessing star quality at present although, the difference between the achievements of both squads tells a different story to Shi’s beliefs.
It’s tough to imagine O’Neil’s current squad reaching the Europa League quarter-finals and finishing seventh in back-to-back seasons, especially after winning only one of their final ten games in 2023/24.
Aside from on-field performances, Shi’s statement remains puzzling, with Wolves fighting for depth throughout the season, putting the manager in an almost difficult situation to compete with clubs surrounding him.
Wolves fans have been treated to some controversy from Shi in the last week, and the chairman’s latest view adds to the list.
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