Even by Fosun standards, it’s been a manic summer.

Someone on Twitter said it had flown by, but to me it’s felt like a marathon of fanfare and speculation.

I’m just happy to see some actual football and like everyone else, hoping that the club’s considerable efforts over the last two and a half months are rewarded.

Those hopes are high I must admit. I think the players Wolves have recruited are of a good calibre, there’s a clear system of play and the head coach seems to have landed on something close to his best eleven.

That said, it’s a very tough start against the team all the bookies are tipping for promotion. Defeat may temper our optimism. Victory would send it sky high.

Middlesbrough

Given that Boro were air tight defensively for much of last season’s Premier League campaign, but incapable of scoring it’s no surprise to see Garry Monk splurging on strikers.

Britt Assombalonga arrived for some serious wonga from Forest and former Man Utd man Ashley Fletcher was hot on his heels in another big money transfer from West Ham.

Danish international Martin Braithwaite has also been recruited for £9 million to further swell the numbers.

When you consider they already had two proven Championship forwards on their books in Rudy Gestede and Patrick Bamford, they now have some serious strength in depth.

They’ve got a good chairman there in Steve Gibson who always back his managers with time and resources. In Monk they seem to have the right manager too, so what could possibly go wrong?

Perhaps their biggest obstacle will be the considerable weight of expectation with everyone seeing them as likely pacesetters.

Wolves

I always used to chuckle when people would phone into Radio WM and say ‘Franksy, we need six or seven new players’, believing they lived in some sort of fantasy world expecting a new team to magically materialise.

Well, the egg is well and truly on my face as Wolves will line up at Molineux on Saturday with a side that scarcely resembles the one that finished last season with a 1-0 win over Preston.

The big question is whether Nuno will thrust new forward Leo Bonatini straight into action? If Nouha Dicko is ruled out with injury as expected, it seems likely the Brazilian will start.

Other than that, it’s the same team that performed impressively against Leicester last weekend.

If the above eleven does click, it’s exciting to think that the likes of Costa, Cavaleiro, Marshall and several others will all be pushing hard to get in at some point.

Despite the many glamour signings, I’m particularly happy with Barry Douglas at left wing back. The balance that he and Doherty bring to the team is important, particularly for this system.

Neves is a very exciting addition. We’ve been so desperately lacking in central midfield since Kevin McDonald left and I hope we’re building a team around the Porto man’s undoubted quality.

From the away end

Some words from Middlesbrough fan Rob, from OneBoro: After the disappointment of last season in the Premier League, it’s been a summer of change. From the recruitment, to management and playing staff: there’s been significant upheaval.



Boro chairman Steve Gibson, carried on his tradition of giving new, up and coming managers a chance. Garry Monk ticks all of the boxes and signed on as Boro manager in June. With the promise of funds to spend on new players, Monk focussed on buying players who are familiar with the division and will hit the ground running.

Howson had been tipped to be the next Norwich captain, Christie was a regular for Derby and Assombalonga knows where the net is. The only relatively unknown addition to the Boro squad is Martin Braithwaite, who arrived from French football.

The most important achievement for Boro this summer has been appointing the right manager and building a squad capable of returning to the Premier League at the first attempt. With a tough opening game against Wolves coming up, it’s crucial for Boro to hit the ground running though it may take a couple of games until the players and manager fully gel.

Predictions

The Prediction League is back and all are invited to take part. It’s easy, just leave a comment in the section below and fill in the appropriate fields with your scoreline.

Please remember, that your score will only be correctly recorded in the table through the season if you use a consistent email address to comment. If you change email addresses, you will create to listings in the table.

I’ve been speaking to various Boro fan sites in the build up to this one and have offered a 2-2 prediction so can’t really change now.

If we stand toe-to-toe (or better) I’ll be very satisfied. We want to get some points on the board early in a difficult looking August.

2-2.

Up The Wolves!