# 2020–21 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season

The 2020–21 season was the 143rd season in the history of the English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. The club competed in the Premier League for the third consecutive season and also participated in this season's edition of the FA Cup and EFL Cup.
The entire season took place against the backdrop of the global COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated the players' compliance with strict restrictions on contact as well as a lack of fans at all Wolves' home matches until the final day of the campaign. The team also had to contend with several long-term injuries, including the leading goalscorer of the previous seasons, Raúl Jiménez, who suffered a fractured skull during an aerial collision in a 2–1 win at Arsenal on 29 November 2020.
With this victory, the team moved into 6th place in the table, but their results deteriorated afterward in Jiménez's absence for the remainder of the campaign and they eventually finished in 13th place, representing a decline compared to the previous two seventh-place finishes. Two days prior to the end of the league season, the club had announced that head coach Nuno Espírito Santo would be leaving by "mutual consent" after the final game following four years at the helm.

## Competitions
### Premier League

A total of 20 teams competed in the Premier League in the 2020–21 season. Each team played every other team twice, once at their stadium, and once at the opposition's. Three points were awarded to teams for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats.

#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 55 | 46 | +9 | 55 |
| 12 | Newcastle United | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 46 | 62 | −16 | 45 |
| 13 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 36 | 52 | −16 | 45 |
| 14 | Crystal Palace | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 41 | 66 | −25 | 44 |
| 15 | Southampton | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 47 | 68 | −21 | 43 |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 23 May 2021. Source: Premier League

#### Results by matchday

| Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H |
| Result | W | L | L | W | W | D | W | L | D | W | L | L | W | L | D | L | D | L | L | D | L | W | D | W | W | D | L | D | L | L | W | W | L | D | W | L | L | L |
| Position | 5 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 |

#### Matches

The provisional fixture list was released on 20 August 2020, but was subject to change in the event of matches being selected for television coverage or police concerns.

### FA Cup

The third round draw was made on 30 November, with Premier League and EFL Championship clubs all entering the competition. The draw for the fourth and fifth round were made on 11 January, conducted by Peter Crouch.

### EFL Cup

As a Premier League team, Wolves entered the competition at the second round stage, which was drawn on 6 September.

### EFL Trophy

Wolves were one of the sixteen teams from outside the bottom two divisions of the Football League to be invited to field their academy team in the competition due to it holding Category 1 academy status. They were drawn into Group F in the Northern section. Note: In group stage matches which were level at the end of 90 minutes, a penalty shoot-out was held, with the winner earning a bonus point.

## Players
### Statistics

Key: ‡ On loan from another club * First appearance(s) for the club
* # = Squad number
* Pos = Playing position
* P = Number of games played 10
* G = Number of goals scored
* GK = Goalkeeper
* DF = Defender
* MF = Midfielder
* FW = Forward
* = Yellow cards
* = Red cards
* † Permanent player left club during the season
* ¤ Loaned to another club for part or all of season
Correct as of 23 May 2021. Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances in parentheses where applicable.
| No. | Pos | Name | P | G | P | G | P | G | P | G | | |
| No. | Pos | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total | Discipline | Discipline | Notes |
| 2 | DF | Ki-Jana Hoever | 5(7) | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7(8) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Rayan Aït-Nouri ‡ | 16(5) | 1 | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18(6) | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Marçal | 7(6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7(6) | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | Pedro Neto | 30(1) | 5 | 1(2) | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 31(4) | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | Rúben Neves | 30(5) | 5 | 2(1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34(6) | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Raúl Jiménez | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 10(1) | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Daniel Podence | 22(2) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 22(3) | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | GK | Rui Patrício | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | Willian José ‡ | 12(5) | 1 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12(6) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | Willy Boly | 21 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | Conor Coady | 37 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 17 | FW | Fábio Silva | 11(21) | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15(21) | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | FW | Diogo Jota † | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | Morgan Gibbs-White ¤ | 4(7) | 1 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5(8) | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 19 | DF | Jonny | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | Vitinha ‡ | 5(14) | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8(14) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | GK | John Ruddy | 1(1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | DF | Nélson Semedo | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | Patrick Cutrone ¤ | 0(2) | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1(3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | Taylor Perry | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | MF | Romain Saïss | 27 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | João Moutinho | 28(5) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31(5) | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 29 | DF | Rúben Vinagre ¤ | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | MF | Leander Dendoncker | 29(5) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33(5) | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 37 | FW | Adama Traoré | 29(7) | 2 | 1(2) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 31(9) | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 38 | MF | Meritan Shabani ¤ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | MF | Luke Cundle | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 42 | DF | Lewis Richards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 49 | DF | Max Kilman | 14(4) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16(4) | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 54 | MF | Owen Otasowie | 2(4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2(4) | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 57 | DF | Nigel Lonwijk | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 59 | DF | Oskar Buur ¤ | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 60 | FW | Theo Corbeanu | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0(1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 62 | GK | Andreas Søndergaard | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 64 | DF | Hugo Bueno | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 75 | DF | Christian Marques | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* ↑ Moutinho was suspended vs Chelsea (h) due to receiving a second yellow card vs Aston Villa (h).

### Awards

| Award | Winner |
| Fans' Player of the Season | Pedro Neto |
| Players' Player of the Season | Pedro Neto |
| Young Player of the Season | Fábio Silva |
| Academy Player of the Season | Owen Hesketh |
| Goal of the Season | João Moutinho (vs Arsenal, 2 February 2021) |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee | Team |
| 27 July 2020 | GK | Matija Sarkic | Aston Villa | Free transfer | First team |
| 31 July 2020 | LB | Aaron Keto-Diyawa | Fulham | Free transfer | Academy |
| 2 September 2020 | LB | Toti | Estoril Praia | Undisclosed | Under-23s |
| 5 September 2020 | CF | Fábio Silva | Porto | £35,000,000 | First team |
| 6 September 2020 | LB | Marçal | Lyon | Undisclosed | First team |
| 19 September 2020 | RB | Ki-Jana Hoever | Liverpool | Undisclosed | First team |
| 23 September 2020 | RB | Nélson Semedo | Barcelona | £30,000,000 | First team |

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Name | From | Date Until | Team |
| 9 September 2020 | CM | Vitinha | Porto | End of season | First team |
| 4 October 2020 | LB | Rayan Aït-Nouri | Angers | End of season | First team |
| 23 January 2021 | FW | Willian José | Real Sociedad | End of season | First team |

### New and extended contracts

| Date | Position | Name |
| 16 April 2020 | FW | Dongda He |
| 18 May 2020 | GK | John Ruddy |
| 14 August 2020 | FW | Lewis Richards |
| 16 September 2020 | MF | Connor Ronan |
| 25 September 2020 | FW | Léo Bonatini |
| 1 October 2020 | CB | Conor Coady |
| 3 October 2020 | FW | Raúl Jiménez |
| 14 October 2020 | FW | Theo Corbeanu |
| 16 October 2020 | DF | Dion Sanderson |
| 21 October 2020 | DF | Max Kilman |
| 3 November 2020 | RW | Pedro Neto |
| 14 December 2020 | DM | Leander Dendoncker |
| 17 December 2020 | LM | Ryan Giles |
| 17 December 2020 | GK | Andreas Søndergaard |
| 18 January 2021 | AM | Meritan Shabani |
| 28 January 2021 | MF | Luke Cundle |
| 10 February 2021 | FB | Jonny |
| 18 March 2021 | CB | Romain Saïss |
| 22 April 2021 | AM | Chem Campbell |
| 23 April 2021 | FW | Conor Carty |
| 5 May 2021 | GK | Jackson Smith |
| 7 May 2021 | MF | Owen Hesketh |

### Transfers out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee | Team |
| 1 July 2020 | RB | Jed Abbey | AFC Telford United | Released | Academy |
| 1 July 2020 | LW | Jordan Graham | Gillingham | Released | First team |
| 1 July 2020 | CB | Connor Johnson | Kettering Town | Released | Under-23s |
| 1 July 2020 | LW | Usman Khan | Kidderminster Harriers | Released | Academy |
| 1 July 2020 | CM | Kai Lissimore | Kidderminster Harriers | Released | Academy |
| 1 July 2020 | CM | Ming-yang Yang | Grasshopper | Released | First team |
| 1 July 2020 | RB | Phil Ofosu-Ayeh | Halmstad | Released | First team |
| 1 July 2020 | CM | Todd Parker | Hednesford Town | Released | Academy |
| 1 July 2020 | RW | Callum Thompson | Bohemian | Released | Under-23s |
| 7 July 2020 | RW | Hélder Costa | Leeds United | £16,000,000 | First team |
| 16 July 2020 | AM | Tsun Dai | Shenzhen | Undisclosed | Under-23s |
| 27 July 2020 | CM | Elliot Watt | Bradford City | Undisclosed | Under-23s |
| 7 August 2020 | FW | Boubacar Hanne | Gil Vicente | Undisclosed | Under-23s |
| 14 August 2020 | GK | Will Norris | Burnley | Undisclosed | First team |
| 28 August 2020 | FW | Cameron John | Doncaster Rovers | Undisclosed | Under-23s |
| 30 August 2020 | RB | Matt Doherty | Tottenham Hotspur | Undisclosed | First team |
| 7 September 2020 | CF | Benny Ashley-Seal | Northampton Town | Undisclosed | Under-23s |
| 12 September 2020 | CB | Dániel Csóka | AFC Wimbledon | Undisclosed | Under-23s |
| 19 September 2020 | LW | Diogo Jota | Liverpool | £45,000,000 | First team |
| 5 October 2020 | CB | Ed Francis | Harrogate Town | Contract terminated | Under-23s |
| 16 October 2020 | CB | Ryan Bennett | Swansea City | Free transfer | First team |
| 18 January 2021 | CF | Niall Ennis | Plymouth Argyle | Undisclosed | Under-23s |
| 25 January 2021 | DF | John Kitolano | Odd | Undisclosed | Under-23s |
| 1 February 2021 | DM | Terry Taylor | Burton Albion | Undisclosed | Under-23s |
| 1 February 2021 | CB | Roderick Miranda | Gaziantep | Contract terminated | First team |
| 27 February 2021 | RW | David Wang | Nantong Zhiyun | Undisclosed | Under-23s |

### Loans out

| Date from | Position | Name | To | Date until | Team |
| 21 July 2020 | LM | Ryan Giles | Coventry City | 25 January 2021 | Under-23s |
| 23 August 2020 | CF | Renat Dadashov | Grasshopper | 8 October 2020 | Under-23s |
| 23 August 2020 | CM | Connor Ronan | Grasshopper | End of season | First team |
| 25 August 2020 | CM | Christián Herc | Karviná | End of season | Under-23s |
| 25 August 2020 | CM | Morgan Gibbs-White | Swansea City | 6 January 2021 | First team |
| 2 September 2020 | GK | Matija Sarkic | Shrewsbury Town | End of season | First team |
| 3 September 2020 | LB | Toti | Grasshopper | End of season | Under-23s |
| 8 September 2020 | DM | Terry Taylor | Grimsby Town | 6 January 2021 | Under-23s |
| 8 September 2020 | CM | Bruno Jordão | Famalicão | End of season | First team |
| 17 September 2020 | GK | Jamie Pardington | Dulwich Hamlet | 1 January 2021 | Under-23s |
| 19 September 2020 | FW | Leonardo Campana | Famalicão | End of season | First team |
| 22 September 2020 | CF | Léo Bonatini | Grasshopper | 30 June 2022 | First team |
| 5 October 2020 | LB | Rúben Vinagre | Olympiacos | 4 January 2021 | First team |
| 5 October 2020 | DF | John Kitolano | Odd | 1 January 2021 | Under-23s |
| 7 October 2020 | GK | Jackson Smith | Frickley Athletic | 1 January 2021 | Under-23s |
| 10 October 2020 | CF | Austin Samuels | Bradford City | 13 January 2021 | Under-23s |
| 16 October 2020 | CF | Niall Ennis | Burton Albion | 5 January 2021 | Under-23s |
| 16 October 2020 | CB | Dion Sanderson | Sunderland | End of season | Under-23s |
| 5 January 2021 | LB | Rúben Vinagre | Famalicão | End of season | First team |
| 11 January 2021 | RB | Oskar Buur | Grasshopper | 30 June 2022 | First team |
| 26 January 2021 | LM | Ryan Giles | Rotherham United | End of season | Under-23s |
| 31 January 2021 | CF | Patrick Cutrone | Valencia | End of season | First team |
| 1 February 2021 | GK | Jamie Pardington | Mansfield Town | End of season | Under-23s |
| 1 February 2021 | AM | Meritan Shabani | VVV-Venlo | End of season | Under-23s |
| 1 February 2021 | FB | Luke Matheson | Ipswich Town | End of season | Under-23s |
| 26 February 2021 | FW | Dongda He | Beijing Sinobo Guoan | 31 December 2021 | Under-23s |
* ↑ This was originally to be a season-long loan but Giles was recalled during the January transfer window.
* ↑ This was originally to be a season-long loan but Dadashov returned after suffering a season-long injury before the beginning of the season.
* ↑ This was originally to be a season-long loan but Gibbs-White was recalled during the January transfer window.
* ↑ This was originally to be a season-long loan but Taylor was recalled during the January transfer window.
* ↑ This was originally to be a season-long loan but Vinagre was recalled during the January transfer window.
* ↑ This was originally to be a season-long loan but Samuels was recalled during the January transfer window.
* ↑ This was originally to be a season-long loan but Ennis was recalled during the January transfer window.