Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves manager Rob Edwards speaking to Match of the Day: "It's a game we should win. In the end, we have created a number of big chances, scrambles, some big opportunities and not taken them.

"The sending off helped things because it was a disappointing way to concede, and it looked like it was going to be a difficult day. It was a difficult atmosphere for the lads to be playing in, and I think that made them anxious as well. But in the end, the lads gave everything. We created some good opportunities and should have won the game."

On Dan Ballard's red card: "It's the letter of the law. We've had it twice with Tolu (Arokodare) this season. I'm not saying it's a deliberate thing - but it's happened."

On supporters booing his substitution: "Hugo (Bueno) did well to get through the week in training. He also did well to get through the minutes he played in the game.

"We took him off because we wanted to be positive and get another forward on the pitch - that was the reason for it. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't at times. Hugo missed most of the week of training."

Did you know?

• Wolves had 20 shots against Sunderland, their most in a Premier League match since April 2025 against Leicester City (also 20).

• No Wolves player has scored more Premier League goals this season than Santiago Bueno (3). All three of his goals have come from corners, accounting for 50% of Wolves' corner goals this term.

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Rob Edwards needs a win. The Wolves manager has done a lot to revive the unity which had been lost at Molineux earlier in the season, but that is in danger of disappearing during an end-of-season drop-off.

Victories against Aston Villa and Liverpool, and a battling point after being 2-0 down against Arsenal, raised expectations and showed there was still fight in this Wolves team.

They were going down swinging two months ago - and also fought back from 2-0 behind to claim a point at Brentford - but three straight defeats without scoring to West Ham, Leeds and Tottenham had seen optimism evaporate.

A poor draw against a Sunderland side playing for more than an hour with 10 men did Edwards no favours.

Wolves were booed off at the end, while his decision to replace Hugo Bueno with Angel Gomes late on was also jeered.

Some fans need convincing Edwards, who joined from Middlesbrough in November, is the right man to mount a promotion challenge next season as Wolves target a return to the Premier League at the first attempt.

He has won five of his 26 games in all competitions - losing 15 - but still needs time to get to grips with a squad which needs major surgery and faces a big overhaul this summer.

Wolves host Fulham in their final home game on 17 May and victory is imperative to ease fans' growing doubts about their manager.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Wolves' performance

What did you make of Sunderland's display?

Come back on Sunday for a selection of your replies

Dan Bentley, Yerson Mosquera and Tolu Arokodare start for already relegated Wolves.

Matt Doherty and Rodrigo Gomes drop to the bench while goalkeeper Jose Sa is injured so Josh Gracey is included in the matchday squad for the first time.

Wolves XI: Bentley, Lima, Mosquera, S Bueno, Toti, H Bueno, Andre, J Gomes, Mane, Armstrong, Arokodare.

Subs: Gracey, Tchatchoua, Doherty, Wolfe, A Gomes, Bellegarde, R Gomes, Edozie, Hwang.

Reinildo and Chemsdine Talbi start for Sunderland as Regis Le Bris makes two changes at Molineux.

It means Habib Diarra and Chris Rigg are among the substitutes while Jocelin Ta Bi returns to the squad after an ankle injury.

The Black Cats have conceded nine goals in their last two games after shipping four at Aston Villa and five at home to Nottingham Forest.

Sunderland XI: Roefs, Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Reinildo, Xhaka, Sadiki, Le Fee, Hume, Talbi, Brobbey.

Subs: Ellborg, Geertruida, O'Nien, Cirkin, Rigg, Diarra, Mayenda, Isidor, Ta Bi.

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brentford v West Ham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Newcastle v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Wolves v Sunderland

• Arsenal v Fulham (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Brentford v West Ham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Fulham", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

I'm maybe being foolish here but I am backing Sunderland to respond after their shocker at home to Nottingham Forest last time out.

Black Cats boss Regis le Bris would have been "Regis le Bristle" after that woeful home display and his team looked like they were on the beach.

To continue the maritime theme, Wolves have looked like a fish out of water for most of this Premier League campaign.

They come into this game off the back of three straight defeats without managing a goal and I can see them floundering again here.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tyrese King
BBC Sport journalist

Wolves boss Rob Edwards has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Sunderland at Molineux Stadium (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On Joao Gomes being linked to clubs like Atletico Madrid: "We have some good individual players and I know that there is going to be some interest if they're going to leave. If they do, it will be right for the football club, as well as the individual. Someone like Joao is a really talented player, but we will see what happens with him as an individual."

• Edwards said: "What I think is really important this time, and I think it's important to say it as well because we've lost really talented players in the past, is making sure we're really good in the market so that when we do lose some of our good players, we're bringing in some really good ones as well."

• On his players' state of mind after being relegated: "It's a difficult situation, but I think we are getting the most of the group. Every day they are coming in and giving it their absolute all. Again, from when we first came in to now, the training levels are through the roof. They have given it everything and that side of things can't be questioned."

• He added: "Certain bits can be, bits of quality here and there, and of course, there are always things we can improve on, I'm not saying we are perfect, not at all, but the lads have given everything and I need to stress that."

• Edwards' said the recruitment is going to be "everything" moving forward.

• He added: "We have had one window, where we did a lot of work in that time but there's going to be more that needs doing in the summer. It's going to be really important. Everyone wants to snap their fingers, and get it all perfect straight away but this was always going to be a challenging job and it's going to take a while to get it to where we want it."

In our initial reporting, we incorrectly quoted Edwards as saying: "What I think is really important this time, and I say this time, because we have lost really talented players in the past, and we have been really good in the market to bring in good players to replace them." The second bullet point above has now been corrected.

Hit play above to hear more from Edwards or listen on BBC Sounds here

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Wolves? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Sophie Brown
BBC Sport journalist

Already relegated Wolves host Sunderland, whose form is also floundering.

Even though it is less than two weeks since Wolves' fate was mathematically sealed, the writing had been on the wall for much longer.

Rob Edwards' side showed glimpses of raging against the dying of the light with a recent run of just one defeat in six league matches – but the past three matches have been a return to the miserable form that has left them bottom for most of the season.

Three straight defeats, eight goals conceded and none scored. Another loss will see Wolves set a new club record of 24 defeats in a 38-game campaign in the top flight.

Wolves have failed to score in a division-high 18 Premier League games this season – although the fact that Sunderland shipped five last time out may give them some hope.

They also have a good record at home to the Black Cats. They are unbeaten in their past seven home league games against Sunderland (W3, D4) – although this is the first time they have hosted them since a 0-0 draw in the Championship in 2017.

Sunderland faltering

Since reaching the mythical 40-point mark, Sunderland seem to have gone off the boil. A famous derby win over Newcastle apart, the Black Cats' recent form has been pretty lacklustre.

Four defeats in their past six games since then include a loss to Port Vale, who have just been relegated to League Two.

Those defeats also include conceding nine goals in their past two matches – their 5-0 drubbing by Nottingham Forest was their joint-heaviest home league defeat, and their worst since the 1950s.

Sunderland's defence was pretty solid in the first half of the season – up to the turn of the year, only top two Arsenal and Manchester City had conceded fewer Premier League goals than the Black Cats' 18.

But since then, only struggling Burnley and Tottenham have conceded more than Sunderland's 27.

Despite this poor form, Sunderland have still exceeded expectations this season, and with a European spot still in reach, there remains plenty to play for.

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

Image source, Getty Images

"If only they could Sim to the end of the season," suggests a younger observer.

If, like me, your experience of football management computer games dates from a decade when it was necessary to attach a cassette recorder to the machine, there is a translation. "Sim" as in "simulate" - an apparently common practice of allowing the computer to decide the result without the player having to go to the inconvenience of actually playing the game and thereby skipping forward in time.

Playing a game by avoiding the actual game-playing part seemed a slightly less weird concept after last Saturday at Molineux. Afterwards, it was hard to escape the feeling that this, and the four remaining games Wolves are required to fulfil, are matches that they and their supporters could really do without. For anyone who cares for the sport, let alone their club, this is an unnatural and queasy sensation.

Rob Edwards could hardly be expected to vocalise that thought even if it occurred to him, but even his determination to accentuate the positive through this grim season finally seemed under strain.

But it has come to this. Having mostly been remarkably stoic, fans are now expressing their impatience. "Fail to prepare, prepare to fail," read the legend on a flag unfurled in the South Bank at the end, lamenting the mistakes that have brought the club so low. It is now common to hear complaints that while the recent words from the still-new chairman Nathan Shi seem well-judged, it is time for action. Get on with it.

That emotion is entirely reasonable. It is also reasonable to accept Edwards' insistence that the club really have started the overhaul so clearly required this summer. The problem with having to keep your transfer planning quiet is that proving what you're doing is impossible until you can produce the result. Until then, fans must take your word for it at a time when trust is in short supply.

There is no way round that, nor any escaping four more weekends like this. Could we not, say irritated fans – again understandably – "take the handbrake off", at least be a bit less defensive and try to attack even a team as frail as Tottenham?

Perhaps. It would be nice to think they could. But Wolves' struggles owe less to a shortage of tactical ambition than a shortage of quality at Premier League level, apparent since last summer. The sad conclusion from last Saturday was that the sooner all concerned can get on with the future, the better.

Listen to full commentary of Wolves v Sunderland at 3pm on Saturday on BBC Radio WM [95.6FM]

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

Explore Wolves content on BBC Sounds

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Crystal Palace have expressed an interest in signing Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes.

The Brazil international, 25, is expected to leave Molineux Stadium after the club was relegated to the Championship.

Palace have held early contact with Gomes' agency, with Wolves currently asking for offers of around £40m.

Atletico Madrid are also believed to have expressed an interest in Gomes and are widely known to be strong favourites for his signature as they look at add a midfielder to their squad this summer.

They have, however, also shown an interest in Atalanta midfielder Ederson which may open up opportunities for Gomes to move elsewhere, including within the Premier League.

The summer transfer window will open on 15 June 2026 and close on 31 August 2026.

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Emma Milton
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Wolves have huffed and puffed this season, but they have not come close to blowing the house down.

The old nursery rhyme feels uncomfortably accurate. Too often we have looked like a side lacking conviction, lacking fight, and lacking ideas. This week brought more of the same: another flat performance, another afternoon spent sitting deep and inviting pressure instead of taking control.

So the question now is simple: will Wolves bounce back?

The numbers offer little comfort. Since the Premier League began in 1992, fewer than a quarter of relegated teams have returned at the first attempt. That alone shows how difficult the climb can be. And the danger does not end there. For clubs that fail to come straight back up, the longer-term risk grows; something Wolves know all too well. We have been there and got the t-shirt, with back‑to‑back relegations in 2012 and 2013.

That history is exactly why this season feels so alarming. It does not feel like one bad year. It feels like several seasons of managed decline have finally caught up with us.

Parachute payments soften the financial blow, but they can also mask deeper issues. They ease the immediate pressure, yet they do not guarantee success. If anything, they can increase it — big wage bills, high expectations, and the looming fear of becoming stuck in the Championship for years.

After two seventh‑place finishes not so long ago, this fall feels even harder to accept. The worry is not simply relegation itself. It is the possibility of Wolves becoming another club caught in a cycle that is incredibly difficult to escape.

That is why ambition and investment this summer is so important. If the structure behind the scenes is not right, and if recruitment is anything less than spot‑on, Wolves won't bounce straight back and the threat of another relegation becomes very real. Wolves cannot afford to get this wrong.

Find more from Emma Milton at Always Wolves, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Wolves and Tottenham.

Here are some of your comments:

Wolves fans

Mark: Never looked like scoring. No obvious threat tactics. Busy trying not to lose and giving the opposition the initiative in the process.

Dan: A major rebuild is needed in the summer to have any chance of surviving, never mind coming straight back up. The only gameplan I can see is to keep it 0-0 until 70 minutes and then try to nick it at the end. We are already down, so why not just go for it and let the fans be entertained for a change?

Wol: Another poor performance. First half was terrible but I thought we were better after the break. No threat up front again. A lot of this squad will leave and I don't think Fosun will invest massively in the summer and we will see academy players coming through. I don't think that we will get automatic promotion but will possibly finish in the play-offs with the new format coming in next season. Cheaper season tickets is a bonus for us but was done in the hope it will help fill the ground.

Mel: It was a very poor performance from start to finish. The defence looks very weak and we didn't look like the home team. Midfield effort was there but clearly not good enough to compete at Premier League level. Going forward, why would we persist in pumping high balls to a player much smaller than Spurs’ defenders? Clearly, we have to rebuild the team from back to front, otherwise we are going to struggle in the Championship. Such a disappointing season and the supporters deserve so much more.

Tottenham fans

Dave: Kinsky's save was massive. He was my man of the match. Defence more solid. Midfield combative but still lacked creativity. Solanke and Simons big losses for the rest of our campaign. Overall, high marks for effort and application… there's no doubt we are getting better.

Bert: This hard-fought victory against the bottom side of the Premier League leaves a bitter taste. Nothing in our performance suggests we have any chance of avoiding relegation. Meanwhile, West Ham showed more drive and determination.

Ian: After 70 years of loyal support, nothing surprises me about Spurs. Champions or relegated, it seems it's all the same to some of these players. I think I'm too old to plough my way through another season like this.

Christopher: Finally, a win in the league and well deserved. Sure, it wasn't pretty and Wolves were poor - but the signs are encouraging under De Zerbi. A pattern of play and more forward passing rather than hopeful long balls. The fans were superb as usual before during and afterwards. COYS.

Pundits Martin Keown and Steph Houghton join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• West Ham 2-1 Everton

• Wolves 0-1 Tottenham

• Arsenal 1-0 Newcastle

Wolves boss Rob Edwards said his side didn't look like a relegated team as they ran Tottenham close, telling BBC Sport: "It was a close game, I felt we were the better team in the second half in particular, we were pushing.

"The way the game went it was going to be a moment of magic or something like a set piece second phase and it proved to be the case - it's a difficult one to take.

"One or two people don't quite get things right and we got punished. It was a tough one."

On the players' effort and application after relegation was confirmed on Monday night: "I asked for commitment from the players and effort, coming up against a team fighting for their lives.

"We more than matched their intensity and got done with the goal. We have to dust ourselves down and go again.

"There were a few moments in the second half when things could have gone another way. We got (close) a lot but then we were lacking (where it mattered)."

On finishing the season strongly, despite going down: "We got relegated this week, their motivation is really high, but we didn't look like a relegated team. In the end there was nothing in the game.

"That fight and commitment has to be there, we can't let that drop. We are trying to get some results, today I thought we looked tighter and solid and we were pushing."

Did you know?

• Wolves suffered their 23rd league defeat of the season, equalling their most ever in a 38-game top-flight campaign (also 23 in 2011-12 and 1905-06).

• Through Pedro Lima (19) and Mateus Mane (18), Wolves named two teenagers in a Premier League starting XI for the first time since April 2022 v Newcastle United (Fábio Silva and Luke Cundle).

Listen to Edwards' chat with BBC Radio WM here

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Wolves had time to digest relegation after it was finally confirmed on Monday.

It was inevitable after just three league wins this season but the blow was softened as it came when they were not playing.

And the timing allowed the club and the fans to prepare to face Tottenham with their future certain and spared Wolves the image and pain of being relegated at Molineux.

The performance itself did not offer much insight into next season, as Wolves looked to frustrate and hit Tottenham on the break - although the ball never stuck with Adam Armstrong long enough for then to get forward in numbers.

They still need to finish the season well and three straight defeats, after heavy losses at West Ham and Leeds, threaten to wipe out some of the goodwill which has been generated since the turn of the year.

Boss Rob Edwards needs to bring some momentum into the summer and ensure there are no lingering doubts from the terraces that he is the man to bring Wolves back up.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Wolves' performance

What did you make of Spurs' display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Wolves boss Rob Edwards makes five changes from the side who lost at Leeds last weekend.

Jose Sa, Pedro Lima, Matt Doherty, Rodrigo Gomes and Mateus Mane start for the hosts who are already relegated - at Molineux.

Dan Bentley, Jackson Tchatchoua, Angel Gomes and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde drop to the bench with Ladislav Krejci out injured.

Wolves XI: Sa, Lima, Doherty, S Bueno, Toti, H Bueno, Andre, J Gomes, R Gomes, Mane, Armstrong.

Subs: Bentley, Tchatchoua, Olagunju, Wolfe, A Gomes, Bellegarde, Edozie, Hwang, Arokodare.

Djed Spence returns for Destiny Udogie in Tottenham's only change.

Spurs are 18th and two points behind West Ham - who host Everton this afternoon - and have not won in the Premier League since December.

James Maddison is on the bench again as he closes in on a return following a serious knee injury he suffered in August.

Tottenham XI: Kinsky, Spence, Danso, Van de Ven, Porro, Bissouma, Gallagher, Bentancur, Xavi, Kolo Muani, Solanke.

Subs: Austin, Dragusin, Palhinha, Richarlison, Maddison, Tel, Gray, Bergvall, Souzs

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Fulham v Aston Villa (12:30)

• Liverpool v Crystal Palace

• West Ham v Everton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Wolves v Tottenham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Arsenal v Newcastle (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also watch, listen a follow live text of the FA Cup semi-final between Man City and Southampton here (kick-off 17:15)

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play West Ham v Everton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Newcastle", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Tottenham could not beat Wolves at home earlier in the season - they needed a 94th-minute equaliser to avoid defeat in September - but they simply have to beat them this time.

Can Roberto De Zerbi's side win three of their final five games and save themselves from the drop?

Of course they can, but it has to start here. Imagine the psychological damage to the Spurs players and their fans if they don't win this one.

Wolves are officially down now but we have known that will happen for a while.

The pressure is all on Spurs and for them to find a way of winning this game.

If Thomas Frank had stayed in charge and maintained his record of 1.12 points per game, then Spurs would be on 37 points now, in 16th.

Instead, they are in the relegation zone and worrying about how the teams above them are doing as well as trying to pick up points themselves.

From watching them, there is nothing that suggests Tottenham will win this time after failing to win any of their previous 15 league games.

Similarly, they have not kept a clean sheet for 14 league games, so why would they manage one now?

But I am going to go against the grain here. Spurs absolutely must win this game, so I am going to say they will - and also that Wolves won't score.

I know that is a ridiculous prediction, and I don't even really believe it will happen myself, but then nothing about Spurs' season makes sense when you study it.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

Wolves have confirmed that all season-ticket holders will receive "a minimum 25% reduction" in their packages ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, which will see the club drop down to the Championship after an eight-year stint in the Premier League.

There will be greater reductions available across concession categories. For example, younger supporters could see their season ticket prices fall "by as much as 53%" compared to this campaign.

In addition, the under-21 concessionary category has been increased to under-23, while the under-17 band has been upped to under-18.

Fixed prices have also been introduced for younger supporters, with under-18s paying a £175 flat-rate across all four stands and under-14s paying just £75.

The football club committed to season ticket reductions last month, as well as a review of its general admission ticket pricing.

Wolves' interim executive chairman Nathan Shi confirmed the wholesale changes to the club's pricing structure in a club statement, external.

"These changes reflect a clear reset in how we approach ticketing at Wolves, with a focus on accessibility and long-term growth" he said.

"We want to ensure more supporters, especially young fans and families, can experience Molineux and feel part of the club.

"A full and vibrant Molineux remains crucial to our goals - one we believe can drive the team to a successful 2026-27 season."

The decision confirms the club's mission to improve accessibility, encourage long-term growth and build their next generation of supporters.

Meanwhile, senior supporters will also continue to benefit from the 65+ concessionary category, despite changes to the national retirement age.

The club believes the move "represents a reset in approach, aimed at strengthening the connection between the club and its supporters for the long term".

How do you feel about the announcement? Will you be renewing your season ticket for the Championship?

Let us know your thoughts here