Gary O’Neil has voiced his frustrations to the Wolves’ ownership following a transfer deficiency that was highlighted during their match against Aston Villa. Wolverhampton Wanderers faced a discouraging second-half collapse as they squandered their lead to suffer a 3-1 defeat to local rivals, Villa.

Wolves displayed a strong performance for approximately 65 minutes, but their defensive resilience crumbled as Villa started to break through. Ollie Watkins equalized in the 73rd minute, leading to further goals by Ezri Konsa and Jhon Duran, securing a victory for the home team. The injury of Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera during this crucial phase seemed to disrupt the team’s composure and defensive solidity, providing an easy path to victory for Villa.

This isn’t the first instance this season of Wolves struggling in the second half. Previous matches against Chelsea and Newcastle United have seen similar setbacks, highlighting a recurring issue for the team. O’Neil acknowledges his team’s mistakes in the early part of the 2024/25 season but emphasizes that his desired transfers were not realized.

Following the defeat against Villa, O’Neil commented, “It’s an area we were already short in off the back of the transfer window closing and not one we could afford to lose.” Losing Mosquera for an extended period could be detrimental as Wolves are already lacking depth in defense.

O’Neil had earlier expressed disappointment after the loss to Newcastle, mentioning a deviation from their original transfer plans with the signing of central midfielder, Andre, instead of a central defender. Despite Andre’s potential, the absence of a replacement for Max Kilman has been a glaring oversight, further exacerbated by the defensive issues exposed at Villa Park. If Mosquera’s injury proves severe, Wolves could face even greater defensive challenges.