Pierre Pellegri: The Pink Panther

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It all came down to one action-packed month of football for Wolves. With mid-table status secured in the Premier League, Wolves were on the hunt for silverware in the FA Cup and UEFA Europa League. Could they succeed? This is a roundup of the month in football for Wolves, as well as an overview of each competition that the club competed in this season.

May had the perfect beginning in store for Wolves in Premier League action. A trip to St. James' Park has become less daunting for clubs in recent years, and Wolves walked away with all three points following a stylish 4-0 win, with Raúl Jiménez's double a sign of things to come from the striker later on in the mnoth. This was followed up with a strong home performance as Wolves defeated Watford 1-0, with Neves scoring from range to make the difference. A respectable 0-0 draw away to Leicester followed before Wolves finished off the Premier League season with a disappointing loss at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, despite actually leading in the game (going on to lose 1-2).

Heartbreak came for Wolves in the FA Cup final this season. Despite playing the better football in 120 minutes of football, Manchester City lifted the trophy after a nervy penalty shootout. There were breakouts of rage from Pellegri and Guardiola as the pair showed the ugly side of football at times. Both managers were reprimanded by the FA, but Pep had the last laugh with the trophy in his hands.

Pellegri had his dream return to boyhood club Lyon in the semi finals. With Wolves leading the tie after a 3-0 first leg win the previous week, their 1-2 defeat in the second leg wasn't enough to deny Pellegri and Wolves a place in the final. Atalanta stood in Wolves' way in the final, although they couldn't deny the English club the title. Raúl Jiménez's second brace of the month inspired Pellegri's men to a win in the final, and a place in next season's UEFA Champions League group stage. The recent heartbreak of the FA Cup final quickly became a distant memory.

Wolves finished the season in 10th place. The club sat in 19th when Pellegri took over at the end of November, with just 2 points after 12 games. 49 points from the following 26 games was enough to elevate the club to a respectable mid-table finish. The club's goal record impressed and, despite complaints from the fans, the club held a solid defensive record. Expectations will be high for next season to see the club place higher.

Liverpool lifted the Premier League trophy, winning the league for the first time in 30 years, and by an emphatic 8 point margin over second placed Manchester City. Manchester United and Arsenal completed the top four, while Everton and Spurs took the fifth and sixth places, respectively. It was heartbreak for West Ham United, Newcastle United and Southampton who were all condemned to relegation. Three historically significant clubs in the Premier League who will be competing in the EFL Championship next season.

Morgan Gibbs-White's impressive form in May was enough to earn him the Young Player of the Month award for the second time this season. The 20 year old English midfielder also placed third in the Player of the Month award behind Lys Mousset and Mariano. Would his form be good enough for a call up to the England squad ahead of this summer's UEFA European Championship? No. Sadly not.

Jürgen Klopp's role in leading Liverpool to the league title saw him earn the Manager of the Year award. Liverpool's star attacker Mohamed Salah won the Player of the Year award, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka claimed the Young Player of the Year award. Sadio Mané and Callum Wilson shared the Golden Boot award, both scoring a league-high 21 goals. Ederson's 21 clean sheets was more than enough to win the Golden Glove.

Wolves' run in the FA Cup this season included wins over Middlesbrough, Lincoln City, Tottenham Hotspur, Sheffield United and Burnley before the final. However, Manchester City had the last laught with a penalty shootout win in the finall. Heartbreak for Pellegri and Wolves, will next year be their year?

Wolves' EFL Cup run ended in the third round against Manchester United. This happened prior to Pellegri's arrival at the club, so he had no say in how Wolves would do in the competition. Manchester United did end up reaching the final, but lost to eventual champions Manchester City.

The UEFA Europa League was heading back to the Molineux following an incredible tournament performance from the club. Victories over Sevilla, Wolfsburg, Gladbach and Lyon secured a place in the final for Pellegri's men, and they performed well against Atalanta in Gdánsk to earn the title. It was the club's first ever trophy in Europe, and their first with Pellegri, and earned them a place in next season's UEFA Champions League group stage.

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Following a sensational end to the season, the Wolves board had gifted me with a very strong budget. We had plenty of room to work in the market and plenty of money to burn. With £90M readily at our disposal, and 75% of any player sales to be made available, we had plenty to work with. On top of the money promised to use, we also had the availability of planning signings with future installments and clauses outside of this budget. While this would impact future budgets, it was a strong option to have if we wanted to build a team this summer.

There were a number of players expected to leave the club. Matt Doherty had recently handed in a transfer request while Willy Boly's performances throughout the season meant he would be listed on the market. Daniel Podence and Adama Traoré were also likely to leave, with neither really fitting into our style of play. Depending on who we would get in, we would also be looking at loaning Pedro Neto, Leonardo Campana and Bruno Jordão for next season so that they could gain first team experience. They were good players but we were planning on bringing in elite footballers to the club.

I had my targets in mind. James Rodríguez was my primary target in the January window but he wished to remain at Real Madrid for the remainder of the season to see out his contract. With his contract set to expire at the end of the month, we could acquire him without the cost of a transfer fee and, with him being a client of Jorge Mendes, would be readily available.

I was in two minds over Mendes' partnership with the football club. While it certainly opened doors for potential transfers for a pool of players, it often led to increased agent fees spent (to keep up relationships) and closed the door on a lot of other possibilities. While the club had its intended philosophies and ideologies, I envisaged a more meandering route forward. My meeting with Jorge the next day was set to be a test of nerve and could either make or break or transfer window.

We were looking at bringing in ready-made talent. I had identified a number of areas I wanted to improve - central defence, right wing back, midfield depth and attacking options. I didn't want to become overly reliant on Jota and Jiménez going forward, should one or both become injured or drop out of form. Campana and Neto were good, but not quite enough. I wanted to bring in two attackers who had goal scoring pedigree and could play with a bit more tactical versatility to adept to different scenarios throughout the season.

There were no guaranteed starters in the side but six months that I have been in charge made it apparently clear that Morgan Gibbs-White was going to be the star player for the club for years to come. Young, energetic and talented, Gibbs-White was irreplaceable in our starting lineup throughout the season, and was our only midfielder to start both finals recently. While he was perhaps not ready to lead the club's charge for more titles, he was adapting to life in the upper echelon of football at a rate I have rarely seen before. He was the real deal.

The aim for next season was simple - finish as high as possible in the league and challenge for trophies. The media were expecting us to finish 7th, but I was aiming higher. Our points-per-game tally during the 26 games I managed in the season just gone would have been enough for a 5th place finish, had I been in charge for the whole season. I would have liked to think we could have finished in the top 4 had I been in charge for the full campaign, however. That was my aim this season. We were to play Champions League football this coming season and I wanted to ensure we also played in the prized competition in the following season. The next step to achieve that was to bring in players capable of ascending us to that level.