Gary O’Neil Discusses Lemina’s Defensive Role, Cunha’s Future, and Team Culture

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil addressed the media ahead of Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Bournemouth, scheduled for a 15:00 GMT kick-off. The following are the main points from his press conference: Pablo Sarabia, Craig Dawson, and Santiago Bueno are confirmed as available for selection, having been absent from the victory at Fulham due to injuries. Additionally, O’Neil anticipates that goalkeeper Sam Johnstone will be included in the matchday squad. Captain Mario Lemina delivered an impressive performance as a centre-back alongside Toti Gomes during the Fulham match, filling in due to the absences of Dawson and Bueno. O’Neil stated, “I think he can play there. It was a decent discovery for us, with the injury to Yerson Mosquera and some other factors that have led to us being a little bit short in that area. To be as good as he was in a centre-back partnership of just two was very impressive.” O’Neil expressed “zero concerns” regarding the possibility of in-form forward Matheus Cunha attracting interest from other clubs during the January transfer window. When questioned if there was any scenario where an inquiry would receive a response other than ‘no’, O’Neil affirmed: “Matheus won’t leave in January, definitely not.” Regarding the upcoming opponent, Bournemouth, O’Neil commented: “They’ll be a tough test. They press the most in the league, they’re incredibly direct and play a lot of long balls. They play forward and test your resilience. We’re four unbeaten but desperate to make it five.” O’Neil also addressed the significance of fostering a robust team environment within the club. He stated: “Myself and Matt [Hobbs, sporting director] discuss it a lot and one of the first things I said is that every signing we make needs to fit the culture. I spoke about playing for Wolves when I first arrived – you have to earn the right to wear the shirt. It’s a big club and supporters spend a lot of money, time and energy giving everything to support the club.” He further elaborated: “To just have people pulling the shirt on because they’re here doesn’t sit right with me. We are trying to make sure that every signing we make has quality, is a really good person, is able to work and be pushed, and can fit into what we’ve already built.”