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Angel Gomes is set for a Wolves debut against Chelsea on Saturday, with Rob Edwards welcoming a reunion and Chelsea aiming to recover from EFL Cup disappointment. Wolves sit bottom of the Premier League on eight points and appear almost certain to go down, while Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea chase a fourth straight league win.
Despite Wolves’ position, the club moved late in the window to reshape the squad. Gomes joined on loan from Marseille on Monday and will stay until the end of the season, with an option to buy at the end of 2025-26. Adam Armstrong also arrived from Southampton as Jorgen Strand Larsen completed a move to Crystal Palace.
Edwards previously worked with Gomes in England’s youth structure and expects an immediate impact in midfield.
The head coach told the club’s website: "I was lucky enough to work with him at the FA and we got on really, really well. He was a really good player and was obviously part of Steve Cooper's World Cup-winning group with the under-17s. He gives us real quality in that midfield area and versatility because he can play as a deeper midfield player, he can go up and down, or he can be a creative one. He has lots of good qualities and a lot of people would have seen that when he was playing for England. It's a real opportunity for him now, it gives him a platform in the Premier League to show everybody what he's about, and to help us. "
Gomes carries strong youth pedigree, having impressed for England in four outings last season. However, minutes became limited at Marseille, where the former Manchester United academy player slipped down the order. The move to Wolves offers regular top-flight football and a chance to link up again with Edwards in a familiar environment.
Competition for central roles at Wolves remains tight, even with Gomes involved. Mateus Mane has emerged as a key figure since earning a first Premier League start on 27 December against Liverpool. Mane’s energy and creativity have stood out in a struggling side and set a benchmark that Gomes will aim to match.
Mane leads all Wolves players in several attacking metrics over that period. The midfielder has attempted 20 shots and hit nine on target, both team highs. Mane also tops the squad for expected assists in league play with 0.94 xA and has played 626 minutes, the most of any outfield teammate in that stretch.
The human connection between Edwards and Gomes has also been highlighted around the match. During media duties, the club shared Gomes’ appreciation for working again with the head coach.On a human level he's a really great guy. I'm happy to be here and happy to be working under him. Angel Gomes is excited to work with Rob Edwards again pic.twitter.com/iVRXx6884WWolves (@Wolves) February 3, 2026
Wolves vs Chelsea form guide and tactical outlook
Chelsea enter the Wolves vs Chelsea clash after their EFL Cup exit at Arsenal, losing 1-0 in Tuesday’s second leg and 4-2 on aggregate. Rosenior’s team received criticism for a cautious approach at the Emirates Stadium, yet league form has improved under the new head coach with three straight Premier League victories.
Those wins include a comeback against West Ham last week, which reinforced Rosenior’s impact. Midfielder Andrey Santos accepted the disappointment of falling short in the cup. Santos said the team had travelled to London aiming for the final and acknowledged their lack of chances, but stressed the need to respond with Wolves away on Saturday.
Joao Pedro has become a central figure in Chelsea’s attacking improvement. The forward has scored five goals in the last eight Premier League appearances. Pedro has also found the net in all three league matches under Rosenior, becoming the first player to score in each of a Chelsea manager’s opening three top-flight games.
The run from Pedro has historical context as well. The only player to score in a manager’s first four Premier League games is Matt Le Tissier under Alan Ball in January and February 1994. Pedro will attempt to match that mark at Molineux, where Chelsea scored six times in a 6-2 victory last season.
Wolves vs Chelsea statistics, record and Opta prediction
Chelsea have already beaten Wolves twice this season, winning 4-3 in the EFL Cup and 3-0 in the league. They last netted three or more goals in three separate games against the same opponent in one campaign during 2016-17, when Leicester City were regularly on the wrong side of heavy defeats.
Recent meetings have tilted strongly towards Chelsea. Wolves have lost the last three Premier League clashes by an aggregate score of 12-3, after previously recording three consecutive league wins over the Blues. Chelsea also claimed a 6-2 victory in this fixture last season, but have not managed back-to-back Premier League away wins at Molineux since 2003 and 2010.
Wolves’ attacking numbers add to the concern around this Wolves vs Chelsea encounter. The team have failed to score in each of the last three Premier League matches and have drawn a blank in 13 of 24 league games this season. That 54 per cent rate is the highest since Norwich went scoreless in 22 of 38 matches in 2021-22.
Chelsea can reach four successive league wins for the first time under Rosenior with victory at Wolves. The streak would also compare favourably with Enzo Maresca’s longer reign, as the previous coach delivered a single sequence of at least four straight league wins, a five-match run in November and December 2024 across 57 games in charge.
Opta’s model favours the visitors in this Wolves vs Chelsea fixture, reflecting current form and recent head-to-head data. Probabilities for the match outcome are shown below.
| Result | Probability |
|---|---|
| Wolves win | 17.5% |
| Chelsea win | 62.8% |
| Draw | 19.7% |
The Wolves vs Chelsea contest brings together a team fighting to revive faint survival hopes and another attempting to cement progress under a new coach. Gomes’ arrival, Mane’s emergence and Pedro’s scoring streak add clear subplots, while the statistical trends and Opta model point towards Chelsea extending their strong recent record in this fixture.
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