Pierre Pellegri: The Pink Panther

1

Wolverhampton Wanderers continued their rebirth under Pierre Pellegri with a shock 3-1 win against Arsenal at the Molineux Stadium. A late Diogo Jota brace earned all three points for the home side who remain in 19th place despite winning their last two games in the Premier League. The game was without controversy following Pellegri's antics last week.

Wolves fans welcomed Pierre Pellegri warmly to his first home game in charge of the club, having won away games against Brighton and Wolfsberger (Europa League) in the past week. The home side were bolstered by the return of Willy Boly to the backline who was benched last week with a tight groin. However, Mexican striker Raúl Jiménez continued to miss out due to a knee ligament injury.

Mikel Arteta's side headed into the game in 4th place in the league but were without captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who missed the game with sprained ankle ligaments - an injury he picked up midweek against Spartak Moscow. Reiss Nelson filled in for the Gabonese attacker, with Héctor Bellerín captaining the Gunners in his absence.

It was the home side who struck first in the game, just after the half-hour mark, as Leonardo Campana scored his first goal of the club. Matt Doherty recycled possession high up the pitch and did well to pick out Joao Moutinho who was free in Arsenal's penalty area. The veteran Portuguese midfielder was calm and composed as he slided the ball left to Campana, and the Ecuadorian striker rolled the ball to Leno's right and into the far corner.

The game was tightly contested, with Wolves perhaps producing the better chances, but the next opportunity only came with twenty-five minutes remaining. Morgan Gibbs-White was felled in Arsenal's penalty area by an over-eager Sokratis Papastathopoulos and referee Martin Atkinson pointed straight to the spot with no hesitation. The spot kick from Rúben Neves, however, failed to test Bernd Leno who caught the midfielder's shot with ease.

Pundits had highlighted Arsenal's poor defensive skills from set-pieces prior to the game, and it was through a corner that Arsenal conceded. Moutinho's near post cross was flicked on by Leander Dendoncker and Diogo Jota was on hand at the back post to poke the ball into the back of the net for his third goal in two games.

The away support had already began to leave the stadium when their side struck back. Héctor Bellerín was the man to provide the assist but it was Xhaka who scored the goal, and with a sumptuous finish, as he volleyed the Spaniard's cross into the top corner from the edge of the area. The game had become a contest again.

However, the home side were determined to secure all three points, and they did so through star striker Diogo Jota in the dying minutes of the game. Sokratis was at fault for the goal, as he got too tight to Jota when the Wolves striker had his back to goal with the ball at his feet, and the Portuguese star turned his man with ease before cooling finishing beyond the reach of Leno to seal the victory for the home side.

1

1

1

1

1

Wolverhampton Wanderers split ways with former manager Nuno Espírito Santo in November. Since then, French manager Pierre Pellegri has been tasked with guiding the side to safety in the Premier League. This is what has happened since.

Santo's departure from the club in November saw all first team staff leave too. Pellegri put together his own staff team in his first few weeks at the club. This team was spearheaded by assistant manager Roy Keane - a man who needs no introduction. Manchester United legend, serial title winning captain. Ruthless and tough. He was seen as the ideal assistant for Pellgri as he looked to raise the standards at a club that had been struggling.

Pellegri's managerial career at Wolves started with a bang. A comprehensive 4-1 victory away to Brighton was followed up with a win away to Wolfsberger AC in the Europa League, a result which confirmed Wolves' progression to the Last 32 of the competition. Pellegri's home debut was just as sweet as his Wolves side overcame a poor Arsenal side to make it three wins from three. This was followed up by a stunning 3-0 win over Crystal Palace to secure Wolves' fourth win in a row in all competitions.

However, the honeymoon period ended abruptly. A trip to Old Trafford saw Wolves suffer defeat at the hands of Manchester United, who were rampant in a 4-0 win. The result marked Pellegri's first defeat as a manager, and was a reality check for Wolves. Further defeats in the next eight days at the hands of Borussia Mönchengladbach and Everton served as a reminder of the defensive frailties at the club, and Pellegri will be expected to address this in the next transfer window.

Wolves bounced back, however. A 4-3 win against West Ham at the London Stadium was played out before their most stunning result of the season - a 2-0 win against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day. It was a thrilling result to mark the festive period, as Wolves tactically outplayed the hosts. Wolves shut off the spaces and hit City behind their full backs repeatedly. Pep was fuming. Wolves then wrapped up 2019 in style, defeating Sheffield United at home.

The revolution of Wolves under Pellegri saw the club rise to 14th. 18 points in 8 games under the Frenchman was a terrific amount, with the goal scoring seen as a major factor (19 goals scored in 8 games). Wolves were not out of trouble yet but could start looking upwards at the teams they could overtake, assuming the good form continues.

At the heart of Wolves' good form was Morgan Gibbs-White, who was recognised as the Premier League's Young Player of the Month for December. The English midfielder is expected to become a star player for Wolves for years to come and Pellegri will be determined to tie him down to a long-term contract.

Wolves will kick off 2020 with a home game against Bournemouth before travelling to Middlesbrough for an FA Cup 3rd Round clash. Then, the big games arrive. Anfield will host Liverpool versus Wolves, as Wolves will look to prove they can battle with the big boys. A clash against Southampton will follow before Wolves then host Manchester City to close out the month. Guardiola's side will be out for revenge and will surely prove to be better than they were on Boxing Day.

1

1

1

1

1

1

Italian defender Daniele Rugani today completed a £14.75M move to Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 25 year-old central defender, capped 8 times for Italy, found himself out of favour at Juventus and completed a move to Premier League's in-form club to reinvigorate his career. Rugani becomes Pellegri's first signing as Wolves manager.

Rugani's story in football began back in the year 2000 when he joined Empoli's youth sides as a 6 year old. His stock grew as he did, and Juventus became interested in his talent. In August 2012, Rugani joined Juventus on loan (€150,000 fee) where he spent a year playing for the U20 team of Turin's major club. Rugani's form impressed Juventus who paid €500,000 for co-ownership of the player.

The young defender spent the next two years playing for Empoli's senior side, first in Serie B and then in Serie A. Rugani continued to improve and to impress as he was named in Serie A's Team of the Year for the 2014-2015 season with Empoli. He made 81 appearances in all competitions during the two years and suitors from around Europe were interested in the young player's availability.

---

---

Juventus were convinced by Rugani's form and promptly bought full ownership of the player for an estimated €4,000,000 in the summer of 2015. Just turning 21 that summer, Rugani was ready to compete with Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli for game time at Italy's biggest club side. He was seen as the likely successor to the famed trio and heralded by many as the future of Italian football.

During his four-and-a-half year spell at the club, Rugani accumulated 95 appearances for The Old Lady. He enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at the club, helping Juve to four Serie A titles, three Coppa Italia titles and two Supercoppa Italiana titles during his time at the club. With Juventus head-and-shoulders above every other team in Italy, boosted by the 2018 arrival of one Cristiano Ronaldo, Rugani's trophy haul was only expected to grow.

Rugani earned international recognition at senior level in September 2016 when he made his debut for Italy against France. He has earned just 8 caps in total for Italy, with club team mates Chiellini, Bonucci and Barzagli often keeping him out of the reckoning. However, Rugani's cap haul is expected to multiply over the next few years as he and Alessio Romagnoli look set to bring in a new era of Italian football.

Despite his steady progress, the arrival of young Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt last summer has seen Rugani's game time become more limited this season under Maurizio Sarri, and he requested a transfer. He was listed at a low price and Wolves manager Pierre Pellegri snapped him up on a deal lasting until June 2024, worth an estimated £130k per week.

Rugani is expected to slot in to the left side of Wolves' defence, partnering club captain Conor Coady and fan favourite Willy Boly, in an attempt to improve Wolves' defensive fortunes. Pellegri spoke of his admiration for Rugani's talents and, in particular, his tactical nous as a defender - referencing a conversation about Rugani's ability with former team mate Andrea Barzagli.

---

---

Pierre Pellegri:

---

"Rugani is a fantastic signing for Wolves and he certainly adds a lot of quality and experience to the team. Despite his age, he is already a serial title winner and has the required mentality to compete at the very highest level of the game. He is a trophy winner and a very competitive player, and he will fit in very well here.

I first became aware of Rugani some years ago when I was watching a Juventus game, I can't remember who they played. He was so young but played so well. Having played alongside (Andrea) Barzagli at Palermo, I had to ask him about the kid he was lining up alongside for Juve! Barzagli only had good things to say and was excited about passing on his experience to him. He tipped Rugani to become an elite defender because of how well he understands the game.

This is maybe not the season to judge what Rugani, or Wolves, can do. It is a season of transition for the football club and I don't think it would be fair to judge any player based on what happens between now and the end of the season. Of course, we will still expect them to work hard and to play well, but we know that it is a very difficult year for us and not everything will go our way. We hope he will perform well now but I think we will see the best of Rugani next season."