Forget Mane: Another Wolves star looks like their new Morgan Gibbs-White

Wolverhampton Wanderers are going to be relegated from the Premier League this season, but since Rob Edwards took over from Vitor Pereira, hope has been restored at Molineux.

Some Old Gold supporters will still believe in the miracle of a great escape, but the chances of Wolves overturning their 12-point deficit with only seven matches left to play this season are almost negligible.

There’s plenty of reason for optimism, though. The Midlands outfit will be among the favourites to leap back up into the Premier League next season, especially with a rising star such as Mateus Mane.

Mateus Mane’s growing importance

It has been over two months since Mane scored a goal, but he continues to have a significant impact for a team who have rediscovered their balance and connection.

He’s only settled into a regular role in the Premier League since December, but the 18-year-old is already playing with confidence and gusto, shining in an imperilled outfit and instrumental in guiding them away from the pits.

Wolves are still the division’s bottom-placed team, but they are no longer at risk of finishing with the lowest points total in history, having lost only four of their past 13 matches in all competitions.

Mane has played a big role in that, with his pace and enthusiasm and adaptability all assisting Edwards in creating a system that may well be sitting above the dotted line, had this campaign started with him at the helm.

It’s crucial that the dynamic attacker is kept on the books. Wolves cannot allow previous transfer mistakes to recur as they tumble down into the second tier.

Mane isn’t the only talented prospect worth keeping around, though, with another academy talent emerging as Wolves’ new version of Morgan Gibbs-White.

Wolves’ new version of Gibbs-White

Back in 2022, Wolves sold Gibbs-White to Nottingham Forest in a deal rising to £42.5m. It’s hard to argue that it was a mistake, but the sale of that young prospect who had only made a real mark in the Championship proved to be one that Molineux and Fosun would rue.

In Tom Edozie, Edwards might just have stumbled upon the recreation of the England international, with the 19-year-old winger scoring on his Premier League debut to stifle Arsenal back in January.

Edozie has not played much since then. In fact, he has not played at all at the senior level. But he is a talented young prospect with a big future in front of him, and like Gibbs-White before him, who played on loan with Sheffield United and Swansea City in the Championship, he might benefit from a season in the second tier.

Edozie is, after all, a young and raw talent, but he has already shown that he can make an impact for the first team and will be a valuable asset as the Old Gold tackle the Championship and its different kind of intensity next season.

He is fast and direct, and while he is not similar to Gibbs-White in regard to his playing style, the youngster could become a similar mistake if faith is not invested in his growth over the next few years. And that goes for Mane too, who is already attracting interest from the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United.

Letting Gibbs-White leave was a mistake, even for such a hefty figure. His leadership and dynamism as a multi-functional midfielder would surely be a difference-maker for a Wolves side who have lacked quality and experience this season.

It’s simply another example of poor recruitment decisions, but in Edozie and Mane, Wolves might have a pair of prospects who could make a significant impact over the coming years, should they be kept on the books.

Edozie is not ready to play week in and week out in the Premier League, but a dip into the Championship next term could actually benefit him in the long run, as it did with Gibbs-White before his transfer to the City Ground.

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