Lee Naylor defends Goncalo Guedes after Brighton defeat

Wolves were beaten 2-0 by Brighton at the weekend, and there was a rare start for Goncalo Guedes.

No one expected him to be in the squad this season, having previously spent time away from the club on loan.

The feeling was that he did not want to be at the club, but he was then reintegrated by Gary O’Neil.

Guedes actually did fairly well in the first half of the season as Wolves struggled as a collective, chipping in with goals and assists.

But he’s tailed off in 2025, and Naylor reckons his lack of involvement was a clear reason for his poor performance at the weekend.

He said (via Wolves official): “I can’t express to you how difficult it is when you don’t play every week to come into a side, which has been flying, and just hit the ground running. It’s so difficult. Trust me.

“But Guedes was running around, he was getting in good positions, yet he was off it slightly because of lack of games.

“He doesn’t normally turn down shots and he was getting in one or two good positions to shoot, but that’s not normally him. His touch let him down for a chance in the first half, so in his defence, it’s very hard.”