Ruben Neves, a former Wolverhampton Wanderers fan and Portugal international, has staked his claim on the club’s chances of a successful first season back in the Championship under Cesar Peixoto.

The Old Gold and Black were relegated last season after eight consecutive years in the Premier League, finishing at the bottom of the table with just 20 points.

Their first pre-season back in the Championship also featured some unexpected twists, most notably the decision to appoint Peixoto, who led Gil Vicente to sixth place in Liga Portugal last season, in place of Rob Edwards, who was fired in early June just months after controversially leaving Middlesbrough.

It has also been an exciting summer of transfer action at Molineux, with Wanderers retaining the services of Brazilian midfielder Andre after agreeing a new four-year contract, as well as recruiting Kieran Trippier, Jordan James, and another WV1 fan, Raul Jiménez.

As a result, fans in this section of the West Midlands will be hoping that Peixoto, in his first season in English football, can replicate the success of his compatriot, Nuno Espirito Santo.

Ruben Neves stakes a claim on Wolves’ Championship promotion ambitions.

Neves, 29, joined Wolves nine years ago, when the aforementioned Nuno created a star-studded squad for Championship standards.

At the time of his arrival, the elegant midfielder had already captained his former club, FC Porto, at the age of 18, and was signed for a then-Championship record transfer fee of £15.8 million, which has since been shattered a few times, including this summer when West Ham signed Arne Engels from Celtic for £22 million.

The 69-time Portuguese international became a fan favourite over time, with Joao Moutinho and the late Diogo Jota, for his role in Wolves securing UEFA Europa League football and reaching an FA Cup semi-final immediately after their promotion to champions in 2017/18.

Ruben Neves’ Wolves record

Appearances

253

Goals

30

Assists

13

All stats according to Transfermarkt.

After leaving Molineux for Al-Hilal for £47 million three summers ago, he has made occasional visits and expressed his desire for his previous team to succeed.I continue to watch Wolves whenever possible. This is one of my fave teams. He told BBC Sport, “I’ve enjoyed my time there and made many friends.”I saw the EFL Cup game against Port Vale, so I’m quite thrilled, and I’m confident they’ll do well in the Championship.

Wolves have had a shaky start under Cesar Peixoto, with Ruben Neves dropping similarities claims.

Wolves have enjoyed the best start to the current season of the three newly demoted teams, winning six of their combined Championship matches.

That came on Saturday with a dominant performance and 3-1 victory over Preston North End at Deepdale, despite a slight injury problem affecting some important players, following a disheartening 2-2 draw against Blackburn Rovers in the division’s season opener on August 14th at Molineux.

Despite the club’s different conditions in the Championship, Neves added: “It reminds me of my first season there, and I hope they return to the Premier League as soon as possible.”

Wolves intend to lay some markers down in upcoming encounters.

Fer Lopez has shined for Wolves in their first two games, scoring twice and assisting once, but the forthcoming slate of games provides an opportunity for Peixoto’s team to continue establishing groundwork in the early-season battle for supremacy.

Indeed, they will look to win only their fourth league game at Molineux in a year against Stoke City on Saturday afternoon, before heading to West Ham and Birmingham City in quick succession, with the latter particularly unfriendly.

They will then face Portsmouth and Sheffield United before hosting West Bromwich Albion in the first Black Country derby of the season on Sunday, September 20th, ahead of the season’s first international break.

As a result, if Peixoto is able to strengthen his squad in the final week of the transfer window and build on their first league win of the season in the next six games, Neves may believe his forecast was correct from the start.