With just 36 hours remaining of a transfer window that is passing Wolverhampton Wanderers by, the essential task remains largely unchanged from the one Rob Edwards laid out over a month ago.
The Molineux head coach made clear before the window opened that he wanted to “freshen up” his bottom-placed squad. Without a new player added to the ranks, the need remains unaltered.
It does not require a vast amount of spending. A large outlay was never on the cards for Wolves this month, nor would it be sensible given that their destiny has become as clear and inevitable as it has been grim.
But after two successive defeats have followed an encouraging five-match unbeaten run for Edwards’ side, the need to add one or two new voices and fresh ideas to a dressing room immersed in a depressing relegation fight was clear in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth.
There was little to choose between the teams at Molineux. Wolves ‘won’ the game on almost every metric other than the one that matters most.
They ended the game with more possession, more shots, more efforts on target, more touches in the opposition box and the same expected goals as their visitors.
None of those numbers changes the result or the fact that Bournemouth deserved their win because of the ruthlessness that they showed. Wolves could not match that quality, but at least the dismal days of earlier in the season, when Wolves were rarely even competitive in Premier League games, appear to be a thing of the past.
Since late-December, Wolves have fought and competed in every game, whether in defeat, in draws or in their sole Premier League victory against West Ham.
That means the urgency among supporters — and perhaps even among players — for mass changes to the squad has dissipated.
But while no amount of tinkering will change the outcome of the season, Saturday felt like more evidence that new faces are needed to change the dynamics of the squad, to lift the players who have shown improvements of late but who remain worn down by a dismal run that now stretches back 10 months. Arrivals could signal to weary supporters that, while everyone knows how this story will end, Wolves would at least like to make the final couple of chapters entertaining.
It has not been an easy window. None of Wolves’ three ‘big hitters’ — Jorgen Strand Larsen, Joao Gomes and Andre — have been sold as might have been anticipated, which has further reduced the scope for spending.
Jorgen Strand Larsen has yet to be sold despite the interest of numerous clubs (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images)
And considering the improved performances that Edwards has coaxed from his side since just before Christmas, keeping the trio would represent a significant positive in itself as he looks to the final months of the campaign and aims to maintain a modicum of positivity before what will be a huge summer.
But with Marshall Munetsi (Paris FC), Fer Lopez (Celta Vigo) and Tawanda Chirewa (Barnsley) all gone on loan, Wolves face the possibility of ending the window weaker than they started it. All three were little more than fringe players but still, removing three bench options is clearly not a strengthening move unless they are replaced.
Even a couple of loans, or perhaps a low-cost permanent transfer or two with one eye on building for next season, might provide an injection of fresh enthusiasm to the squad, to help supplement the better vibes that have been generated of late.
The sight of Alex Scott — a midfielder who was long courted by Wolves, only for the deal to collapse three summers ago — scoring the second goal for Bournemouth on Saturday simply underlined how one of the grand old clubs of English football have fallen behind the newer, more progressive outfits due to repeated muddled transfer windows.
While there would be no point in throwing money at a lost cause in this window, and while the true value of keeping their powder dry will only become clear a few months into next season’s Championship campaign, this window feels like another tale of a manager being short-changed by an owner with whom patience has run out.
Former chairman Jeff Shi has gone and Nathan Shi has made a positive impression with his words since taking charge, but Fosun’s actions, at least in terms of transfers, have felt depressingly familiar.
Edwards has not demanded anything and has not even asked for much. “Freshening up” feels like a reasonable, modest request from a manager who has taken on a thankless task.
Wolves have a few hours remaining to ensure he is not sold short.