Wolves have practically secured Premier League survival with eight games to go.
Vitor Pereira steered the Old Gold to a 1-0 win over West Ham on Tuesday night, a result which leaves Wolves 12 points ahead of Ipswich.
The Tractor Boys do have a game in hand, but seeing as Kieran McKenna has only accumulated 17 points from 29 outings this season, it feels unlikely Ipswich will take 12 points from nine – which would only be enough to secure survival if Wolves failed to win another point this term.
| Position | Team | Played MP |
Won W |
Drawn D |
Lost L |
For GF |
Against GA |
Diff GD |
Points Pts |
 WolvesWolves |
30 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 41 | 58 | -17 | 29 | |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich |
29 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 28 | 62 | -34 | 17 |
| 19 |  LeicesterLeicester |
29 | 4 | 5 | 20 | 25 | 65 | -40 | 17 |
| 20 |  SouthamptonSouthampton |
29 | 2 | 3 | 24 | 21 | 70 | -49 | 9 |
17th place in the Premier League secured Nottingham Forest a sum of £12.5m last season – so you would presume Wolves will get the same if they finish 17th – but regardless of prize money, Pereira definitely saved the Old Gold £11.3m by leaving Carlos Forbs on the bench against West Ham.
How Carlos Forbs decision saved Wolves £11.3m
A story from Voetbal Zone has now revealed details of the loan agreement between Wolves and Ajax for the Portugal U21 international.
It is said that Wolves would have needed to pay Ajax €13.5m (£11.3m) if Forbs started ten Premier League games this season – which would have triggered a clause for the winger to move to Molineux on a permanent basis this summer.
However – after Pereira left the Wolves No.26 on the sidelines against West Ham – it is now impossible for him to reach ten Premier League starts this season.
Forbs – who Manchester City sold – has only started one Premier League game this term, so with just eight matches left to play, he can only make a maximum of nine Premier League starts, meaning Wolves are safe from triggering the purchase clause.
To make matters worse for the 21-year-old, Francesco Farioli has Ajax sitting nine points clear at the top of the Eredivisie, so he could have become a title winner had he stayed in Amsterdam.
Wolves may need to put £11.3m sum towards Matheus Cunha replacement
Matheus Cunha confirmed he would like to leave Wolves in a chat with the Guardian last week.
The Brazil international said: “I’ve made it clear that I need to take the next step. I want to fight for titles, for big things. I have potential.”
A stunner from distance by Matheus Cunha for @Wolves 🚀#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/bUSGSxq5Es
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) March 1, 2025
Arsenal are keen to sign Cunha – along with Nottingham Forest – after a £62.5m release clause was inserted into the new contract he signed in February, which is a fair asking price for a player with 15 goals in 29 games this season.
Therefore, the £11.3m saved from not buying Forbs could need to be put towards a replacement for the South American.
