da lvbet： Monday was an unforgettable night for Wolverhampton Wanderers but for all the wrong reasons as Gary O'Neil's side succumbed to a late penalty to lose 3-2 away at Craven Cottage.
da bet7k： The Midlands club conceded two questionable spot-kicks in the second half which head coach O'Neil labelled as "mind-boggling" in his post-match press conference, admitting he has "turned against VAR".
However, one of the manager's greater concerns will be the injury to Rayan Ait Nouri, who has been a key player at Molineux season, having limped off early in the first half with a suspected ankle sprain.
The Algerian defender is still being assessed and his return date is unknown, but it has recently been reported that Wolves could lose the 22-year-old outright in January, leaving O'Neil in a bit of a pickle with regard to his wingback situation.
Rayan Ait Nouri transfer links
Ait Nouri moved to Molineux back in 2020, initially on loan, but eventually signed permanently for £10m from French outfit Angers and was a squad player in his first three seasons with The Wanderers.
However, the Algeria international has grown into his own this term under O'Neil and has become one of the first names on the teamsheet, starting 92% of Wolves' games in the Premier League this season.
However, according to Sports Zone, Ait Nouri has become a top target for Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the January transfer window, with Nuno Mendes currently sidelined for another two months, having undergone surgery on a hamstring problem he sustained at the end of September.
The wingback is Wolves' most valuable player and his market value has risen to £21.6m as recent as October, as per Transfermarkt, meaning the club could recuperate more than double the money they paid for him two-and-a-half years ago.
If Wolves lose one of their star defenders, O'Neil could be forced to turn to an old flame in the second half of the campaign.
Potential replacements for Ait Nouri at Wolves
Jonny Otto is one of the only players left at Wolves who featured during the club's first season back in the top flight, having joined midway through the 2018/19 campaign for £18m from Atletico Madrid.
The Spaniard has been a key player for the Midlands side for a large bulk of his time at the club, having featured on the left and right of both a back five and a back four.
However, this season, the 29-year-old has made merely three appearances in all competitions, playing just four minutes of football in the Premier League, casting his future in doubt at Molineux. Despite his limited game-time, O'Neil revealed that Jonny is a "hard-working professional", admitting that the Spanish defender trains really hard.
Nonetheless, there has been a steep decline in Jonny's minutes on the field during his six seasons with the club, particularly in the current campaign.
Season
Minutes In All Comps
2018/19
3,304
2019/20
3,656
2020/21
544
2021/22
1,023
2022/23
1,598
2023/24
184
Stats via Transfermarkt
The Spain international didn't feature much during the 2020/21 and 20201/22 seasons, having torn his ACL on two separate occasions, but was still an important player before and after his spell on the sidelines.
Following Ait Nouri's early injury, O'Neil opted to bring Matt Doherty off the bench on Monday night which didn't pan out as well as he'd hoped. Doherty lost possession 13 times during his 71 minutes on the field, completed merely one tackle and failed to put a single cross into the box as Wolves struggled to create chances, eventually conceding a late penalty to drop three points.
At just 29, Jonny has plenty still left in the tank and could offer much more solidity on the flanks instead of Doherty should Ait Nouri leave in January.