Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account A second man has been charged with first-degree murder in relation to the April 24 death of William Allan Campbell A Regina Police Service (RPS) news release issued Monday evening indicated that 23-year-old Dontay Bellegarde was charged Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience police officers and paramedics were dispatched to a call for service on the 800 block of Victoria Avenue “He was declared deceased a short time later,” the news release states Bellegarde is expected to make his first appearance in Regina provincial court Tuesday morning RPS considers Campbell’s death the city’s third homicide of 2025 Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact RPS or Crime Stoppers transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account Getty ImagesPublished27 March 2025Wolves midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has been nominated for March's Premier League Player of the Month award In an unbeaten month for the side that saw them draw with Everton and beat bottom-of-the-table Southampton the 26-year-old impressively stepped up in the absence of banned forward Matheus Cunha Bellegarde provided assists for all three of Wolves' goals in the league this month and helped the team move nine points clear of the relegation zone heading into the final weeks of the season Champions League updates: Calafiori back training for Arsenal before PSG semi-final Stunning stats and 'Ronaldo behaviour' - is Yamal cut out to rival Messi Real seek to sign Alexander-Arnold for Club World Cup A gritty crime saga set in Liverpool starring Sean Bean Stacey Dooley explores Britain’s shoplifting epidemic Who has made Troy's Premier League team of the week Is the risk that Mercedes took with Antonelli paying off Trailblazer Zhao set to take snooker to 'another level' in China 'Calamity keeper' or 'human wall' - which Donnarumma will Arsenal face Zhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights VideoZhao beats Williams in historic final - highlights Alexander-Arnold leaves as modern Liverpool great - but fans will feel hurt 'Scheffler and DeChambeau wins further raise US PGA excitement levels' Match-fixing scandal to Crucible champion - fall and rise of Zhao 'We need to take a look at ourselves' - Arsenal stalling at wrong time Europa League 'papering over cracks' for Man Utd - Rooney VideoEuropa League 'papering over cracks' for Man Utd - Rooney Ask Me Anything the new BBC Sport service designed to serve you Bayern's 'James Bond' - how Kane clinched his first trophy Nine bolters with a shot of making the Lions squad How 'absolutely outstanding' Palmer 'destroyed' Liverpool VideoHow 'absolutely outstanding' Palmer 'destroyed' Liverpool Solskjaer on Besiktas Saints 'punch' favourites Leinster in game for the ages VideoVardy the best £1m ever spent - Shearer Poppy's tears Elton John & Happy Gilmore - McIlroy on Jimmy Fallon show Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Vitor Pereira became poetic when discussing Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s unexpected starring role in Saturday’s derby victory “He was amazing,” Pereira told radio reporters after a 2-0 home win against Aston Villa “Bellegarde played at a high level and showed me he’s a player I must look at with different eyes “I spoke with him because I didn’t know his position in this system and today he proved he can play with two in the middle without problems and with high quality.” Bellegarde’s best performance in a Wolves shirt which came in a rare outing in his favoured centre-midfield role was certainly food for thought for Wolves as the transfer window ticked down towards its final hours Pereira was unconvinced before the game that the Frenchman could operate centrally in his 3-4-3 formation Bellegarde did his best in the victory over Villa to convince his head coach otherwise a fantastic surprise,” Pereira added in his post-match press conference “He worked in different positions in our system so I asked him to play in a different role and he played a fantastic game.” He offered the same energy levels as Joao Gomes even if he inevitably lacked a little of the Brazil international’s ferocity in the tackle He also provided the extra ingredient of darting runs beyond the Wolves front three but his performance does not solve the problems of a squad still in flux Pereira has spoken of his reservations about Bellegarde and fellow midfielder Tommy Doyle’s ability to operate effectively in midfield in his 3-4-3 setup With Mario Lemina sidelined for most of the month after expressing a desire to leave Molineux Pereira has been left with just two players — Andre and Gomes — to fill the two vital roles in the heart of midfield And despite Gomes being absent at the weekend Pereira made it clear in the build-up to the game that his basic system will not be changing irrespective of the personnel available “I cannot change my system,” he told his pre-match press conference “If we build a system or a style of play or a game model around one player “We must improve our dynamic in our game model in the way that we started to work since the first day “I can play with three midfielders when we are defending and with one of them making the offensive midfielder in the middle of the lines when we are attacking “But I’m changing the qualities of the players “We cannot do this because we will miss the references and we go on the pitch and we don’t know how to play.” Wolves were still chasing midfield additions but landing one was looking considerably less likely than the centre-back that remained their No 1 transfer priority despite Tottenham Hotspur stealing in to sign Lens’ Kevin Danso there was no clear sign of Lemina leaving despite his desire for a move Lemina's downfall at Wolves has been dramatic - and it seems there is no way back now The transfer window in Saudi Arabia closed last week Wolves are aware of interest from Galatasaray The deals being mooted via agents would be unacceptable to Wolves leaving a distinct possibility that Lemina will remain at Molineux That would present both player and club with a major PR challenge to rehabilitate him in the eyes of fans feeling let down by the lack of focus that has seen him frozen out by Pereira in recent weeks If Wolves can help Lemina regain his focus for a final push then a midfielder of his quality with considerable Premier League experience could be an attractive option When that trick can be achieved is one of the many questions hanging over Wolves’ midfield in the hours Can Doyle develop his game enough to change Pereira’s mind Can Gomes and Andre maintain fitness and form for the vital fixtures ahead And can Boubacar Traore stay clear of injury long enough to play a part we can add to the list the question of whether Bellegarde can recreate this hugely encouraging display consistently The answers to all these questions are almost impossible to predict but they could have a huge bearing on the direction of Wolves’ season (Top photo: Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images) by John Garlock - KTVO and Daily Gate City Iowa — A city official from southeast Iowa was arrested early Saturday morning for suspicion of impaired driving The Daily Gate City newspaper reports that Keokuk City Administrator Emmanuel Bellegarde was pulled over shortly before 2:30 a.m in an alley in the 1200 block of High Street in Keokuk Keokuk Police Chief Zeth Baum told the Daily Gate City that an officer noted that Bellegarde was showing signs of impairment The newspaper said Bellegarde was charged with first-offense operating while intoxicated (OWI) and marijuana possession The city administrator was taken to the Lee County jail for processing (Editor's Note: Story corrected to say 1200 block of High Street) one has now become the best in his position in the Premier League Wolves recorded another big win in the top-flight on Sunday, beating Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 at Molineux It was a fourth straight win for Vitor Pereira, meaning he made history for Wolves The club have never before won four Premier League games in a row With the draw against Everton before those four wins Wolves are currently top of the form table over the last five matches Pereira has done a tremendous job since replacing Gary O’Neil and has struck up a fantastic relationship with the fans many of whom now fully believe the Portuguese may be the man to finally bring the good times back to Molineux Wolves actually didn’t have to be at their very best given their opponents’ awful defending But one man who really punished Spurs was Rayan Ait-Nouri, who Jean-Ricner Bellegarde believes is now top dog for left-backs in the Premier League Ait-Nouri took his goal contributions tally to 10 for the season He opened the scoring with a well controlled volley after poor goalkeeping by Guglielmo Vicario before passing to Jorgen Strand Larsen for a simply tap-in That was Ait-Nouri’s 10th Premier League assist for Wolves – no defender has more for the club in the competition With data indicating a strong performance against Spurs Ait-Nouri’s stock continues to rise and for Bellegarde The Frenchman shared Wolves post about Ait-Nouri on his own Instagram Story earlier today with the caption ‘Best leftback in the league’ It’s up for debate as to who the best left-back actually is in the Premier League right now Perhaps the defensive side of his game still needs a bit of work before he can be considered the very best But there is no denying what a top talent he is and in a few years he could be top dog in the Premier League and very possibly in world football as well It just remains to be seen how much longer Wolves can keep hold of him he will have been at Molineux for five years after joining initially on loan from Angers Fans would love to hope that he’ll stick around. But with Joao Gomes signing a new contract at Wolves, it’s very possible Fosun may sanction a big money exit for the Algerian A Division of NBCUniversal DISCLAIMER: This site and the products offered are for entertainment purposes only and there is no gambling offered on this site This service is intended for adult audiences No guarantees are made for any specific outcome If you or someone you know has a gambling problem Wolves have been much improved of late under Vitor Pereira Wanderers have pulled clear of the relegation zone and are now 12 points clear of the drop Vitor Pereira has done a sterling job and has managed to get a tune out of so many players who were not performing under the previous manager One player who has really come to life in recent weeks is Jean-Ricner Bellegarde Bellegarde scooped Wolves’ Player of the Month award for February and has continued to shine taking advantage of the recent suspension of Matheus Cunha one statistic has emerged that really does show how good – and specifically Bellegarde struggled in his first season at Wolves but the main one was that he often had to play out wide Bellegarde is an attacking midfielder by trade So his best work comes when he picks up inside positions He’s also done quite well in Cunha’s position in recent weeks he has tended to play inside rather than right out on the left And Bellegarde has been a creative spark for Wolves this calendar year Declan Rice has created more big chances than any other player in the Premier League in 2025 (8). 🍚#ARSBRE | @bet365 | #Ad pic.twitter.com/9eW8lKEbk8 That is the same number as Kevin De Bruyne who is one of the all-time great playmakers in the Premier League And there are only a handful of players – including Liverpool superstar Mo Salah – ahead of Bellegarde in this metric so far this calendar year So it really does indicate how productive the Frenchman has been for Wolves lately It is hugely satisfying to see Bellegarde finally thriving at Wolves It was difficult for him last season as the player just couldn’t build any real momentum and that led to some feeling he wasn’t good enough In 2025 Bellegarde has really shown what he can offer and it’s clear the manager really likes what he brings to the table Vitor Pereira admitted he had doubts about Bellegarde positionally initially but now seens his value and loves how versatile he is It’s not out of the question Bellegarde could perhaps become Wolves’ next number 10 when Cunha leaves this summer and given his much improved creativity of late he would certainly be a fitting choice for that number Wolves' Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has been nominated for the Premier League’s EA Sports Player of the Month award following an outstanding March for the forward Having been voted by Wolves supporters as their SUDU Player of the Month for his performances in February the Frenchman has continued his stunning form under Vitor Pereira by assisting all three of the Old Gold's Premier League goals during March To vote for Bellegarde, click here Wolves played just twice in the Premier League during March due to the international break and two rounds of Emirates FA Cup football but Bellegarde once again starred in the number 10 role In the absence of Matheus Cunha through suspension firstly claiming an assist in Wolves' 1-1 draw at home to Everton with a perfectly-weighted defence splitting pass into the path of Marshall Munetsi The former France under-21 international added another two assists for the month in Wolves' 2-1 win over Southampton before the international break with both assists setting up Jorgen Strand Larsen goals His first was a pinpoint cross onto the head of the Norwegian while his second was part of a quick counter as he laid the ball into the path of the striker who found space before firing low into the far corner of the net Wolves’ number 27 is one of six players nominated for the award 2024-25 Wolves Home Shirt - Adult Buy 2024-25 Wolves Home Shirt - Adult Now 2024-25 Wolves Home Shirt - Junior Buy 2024-25 Wolves Home Shirt - Junior Now 2024-25 Wolves Home Shirt - Womens Buy 2024-25 Wolves Home Shirt - Womens Now 2024-25 Wolves Home Shirt - Ls Buy 2024-25 Wolves Home Shirt - Ls Now 2024-25 Wolves Pro Home Shirt - Adult Buy 2024-25 Wolves Pro Home Shirt - Adult Now 2024-25 Wolves Home Baby Kit Buy 2024-25 Wolves Home Baby Kit Now 2024-25 Wolves Home Infant Kit Buy 2024-25 Wolves Home Infant Kit Now 2024-25 Wolves Away Shirt - Adult Buy 2024-25 Wolves Away Shirt - Adult Now 2024-25 Wolves Away Shirt - Womens Buy 2024-25 Wolves Away Shirt - Womens Now 2024-25 Wolves Away Shirt - Adult - Ls Buy 2024-25 Wolves Away Shirt - Adult - Ls Now 2024-25 Wolves Pro Away Shirt - Adult Buy 2024-25 Wolves Pro Away Shirt - Adult Now 2024-25 Wolves Away Baby Kit Buy 2024-25 Wolves Away Baby Kit Now 2024-25 Wolves Away Infant Kit Buy 2024-25 Wolves Away Infant Kit Now 2024-25 Wolves 3rd Shirt - Womens Buy 2024-25 Wolves 3rd Shirt - Womens Now 2024-25 Wolves 3rd Shirt - Junior Buy 2024-25 Wolves 3rd Shirt - Junior Now 2024-25 Wolves 3rd Shirt - Adult - Ls Buy 2024-25 Wolves 3rd Shirt - Adult - Ls Now 2024-25 Wolves 3rd Baby Kit Buy 2024-25 Wolves 3rd Baby Kit Now with an unlikely hero emerging from the match Vitor Pereira branded Jean-Ricner Bellegarde a ‘fantastic surprise’ after Wolves’ 2-0 win over Aston Villa The Frenchman was selected to start as Pereira made several changes to his squad, with Bellegarde replacing Joao Gomes in midfield While some had initial concerns over Bellegarde’s position in the starting lineup all doubts were retracted after 90 minutes as the 2023 signing ran the show Bellegarde and Matheus Cunha were the goalscorers on what was an evening to remember for Wolves The derby win was capped off as Cunha signed a new contract however nothing must be taken away from Bellegarde’s performance the 26-year-old not only scored but was unstoppable at times playing arguably one of his best games in the Old Gold "The team was very improved, good mentality, I'm happy."🇫🇷🗣️ pic.twitter.com/voF7pkAvXS the Frenchman hinted at why he had such a good game sending a subtle message to Pereira regarding his best position “The gaffer told me I could help the team as a midfielder,” Bellegarde said “I played in midfield last time in last season and I know this position I’m very comfortable in this position but I can’t play [there] a lot it’s difficult for me but today was good for me and I’m enjoying [playing there].” Gary O’Neil’s signing admitted that it’s difficult for him to play in midfield often but made it clear that in the middle is where he’s most effective Wolves fans were wowed by Bellegarde against Villa but it’s been a rarity that the Frenchman has impressed since his arrival at Molineux Before his exit, O’Neil started to lose trust in Bellegarde rarely handing his signing a spot in the starting XI Wolves supporters have also taken aim at Bellegarde throughout this season with the hope that the 26-year-old has reached a turning point in his Premier League career Pereira must work out how to best utilise his player with the evidence there to suggest that Bellegarde’s best position is clear Bellegarde was Wolves Player of the Month for February after transforming into an important player under Vitor Pereira The 26-year-old has since carried that form into March assisting in the draw at home to Everton and grabbing two assists against Southampton before the international break Remarkably, Bellegarde was shortlisted for the Premier League Player of the Month award on Thursday joining the likes of Declan Rice and Bruno Fernandes This recognition is what the Frenchman deserves after a trialling beginning to his time at Wolves, which saw Matt Hobbs make a clear prediction When Wolves captured Bellegarde for £12.8 million from Strasbourg in the summer of 2023 fans expected him to hit the ground running The attacking midfielder produced six assists for Strasbourg in the 2022/23 campaign and was predicted to provide such quality to the Wanderers by Hobbs Speaking in September 2023, he said of Bellegarde to Wolves official: “He’s a player the recruitment team flagged towards the end of last season technical and has ability to drive with the ball and you can see from his goal and assist record that he’s had an excellent start to this season “He’s another player who adds to our depth and gives us something different He will add creativity and he’s got good end product “With the runners that we have going forward his athleticism from the middle of the pitch as well as his strength and his ability to find that final ball – as he’s shown in France – will be really important to us.” The point that stuck out the most in his assessment of Bellegarde was a sharp end product with the midfielder returning just two goals and one assist in his first 22 appearances he’s now proving Hobbs right with eight goal involvements in his last 31 appearances for the club including three assists in his previous two games In the absence of Matheus Cunha Bellegarde has become the creative force for Wolves floating down the flanks and wreaking havoc centrally The versatile attacker now has six Premier League assists to his name this term Bellagarde has matched some of the division’s best for this metric including Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold this level of form couldn’t have been predicted from the Frenchman but now he’s showcasing his true potential under Pereira Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Signed on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2023 and billed as the replacement for Matheus Nunes there was excitement about Bellegarde’s arrival He then enjoyed a very lively debut against Liverpool and supporters felt the club might have signed a real gem But sadly Jean-Ricner Bellegarde couldn’t really find consistency in his first season Bellegarde admitted the pace and intensity of the Premier League was a lot But Bellegarde is enjoying happier times at Wolves now and is perhaps on his best run since he arrived – and the verdict Gary O’Neil gave in pre-season is starting to ring true Gary O’Neil said in pre-season he felt Bellegarde could be a regular for Wolves in 2024/25 The former manager had deployed Bellegarde in a central role on a couple of occasions out in the US and speaking after Wolves’ game with West Ham United he said: “That was my chat with him in the summer (about kicking on from 2023/24) how excited I was with the season coming for him “When I was sat there in the room with him I fully believed he could be a regular starter for us this year his knee has still made him miss certain bits.” Bellegarde has been feeling the love from Vitor Pereira in recent weeks The Frenchman has now started three of the last four Premier League games It is a suggestion the tide may be finally turning for the 26-year-old although he’s still peeled out wide at times but played with much more confidence Certainly, Bellegarde would be a deserving Player of the Month winner for Wolves having made some key contributions in February amid his increased game time Bellegarde has been playing centrally more often recently and this is a role that does seem to suit him making him suited to those intricate areas in midfield Bellegarde recently admitted to enjoying playing centrally saying: “I’m enjoying every day if I can play I can touch the ball and attack and defend While playing through the middle is his preference it is just important that he’s on the pitch right now because it’s been clear to see that his confidence has grown under Pereira There is no reason why he can’t now continue this form through until the end of the season and see that prediction from O’Neil fully ring true finally establishing himself as a key player for Wolves Bellegarde scored in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa and was then influential from the bench against Liverpool assisting Matheus Cunha for his fantastic strike The 26-year-old was often frozen out under Gary O’Neil with the Englishman not sold on what position he should play The former Strasbourg man has since been used as an attacking midfielder under Vitor Pereira and this has brought the best out of his ball-carrying attributes Bellegarde was unplayable against Bournemouth last weekend and deserved plaudits for his display alongside Cunha, with it becoming clear he’s enjoying his best football at Molineux the metronome can pick up the ball from deep and drive forward Speaking to Wolves official website, Bellegarde has explained how he’s at his most confident in an attacking midfield role as the forwards can open space up for him to exploit “I’m enjoying every day if I can play,” he said It’s not the same profile [Strand Larsen and Munetsi] and we need to adapt to different players.” The emergence of Pereira as manager is one reason why Bellegarde is now enjoying his football again as former boss O’Neil couldn’t figure out how to unlock his potential When Pedro Neto exited the club to join Chelsea in the summer there wasn’t anyone of class and quality to replace him O’Neil challenged Bellegarde to improve his goal and assist numbers to fill Neto’s void seeing him as someone who could play off the left or right “We knew that Pedro (Neto) might leave and it may open things up more for him, and he needed to stay injury free and in a good spot,” O’Neil said via the E&S whether that be off the side of slightly narrower He is versatile with the fact he can play off the left or the right “He’s had a decent start but I want to keep pushing him for more goal involvements and more quality in the final third The above comments suggest that the former Wolves boss saw the Frenchman as a fleet-footed winger and not someone who could make lung-bursting runs from a central position Perhaps if the Englishman used Bellegarde in his best position – as a central attacking midfielder – he would have seen the best of him The Old Gold conceded the first goal in this clash as Jack Harrison’s deflected strike off Matt Doherty beat Jose Sa all ends up It was an end-to-end start to the game, and Wolves had chances themselves, eventually taking one when Marshall Munetsi grabbed his first goal for the club Munetsi came into the starting lineup for the suspended Matheus Cunha and formed an attacking trio with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Jorgen Strand Larsen The 28-year-old was brilliant in the first half before being substituted at half-time with a suspected injury although it was another player in the lineup who Wolves fans think can be the long-term replacement for Cunha Cunha was sent off against Bournemouth last weekend after lashing out at Milos Kerkez and the Brazilian faced the first match of his ban Most supporters were worried about how Pereira would replace the 25-year-old’s influence as he’s scored 15 goals in all competitions But it became clear to some fans during the game that Bellegarde can be the long-term replacement for Cunha, who looks set to leave Wolves in the summer with big clubs interested “Bellegarde is the closest player we can replace Cunha with given his ability to drive forward with the ball,” one fan stated “Bellegarde has to be the one to drive us forward tonight Thats what Cunha does so well,” another replied suggesting he could step up before the game “Bellegarde is gonna step up when Cunha is gone,” a third fan predicted “No one is ready for this convo but Bellegarde is the Cunha replacement,” a fifth replied Anothe supporter made a bold prediction: “Bellegarde will be greater than Cunha,” while a seventh agreed: “Would have been an insane take a couple months ago but I see it now.” Slick move but Bellegarde's pass is ….. SUBLIME!!! Amazing.Come on lads…. come on! 1-1. #wwfc Bellegarde picked up an assist against Everton laying one wonderfully on the plate for Munetsi and the 26-year-old was instrumental throughout as he needs to become more of a goal threat but the statistics make for impressive reading Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s statistics vs Everton In the absence of the Brazilian in the coming weeks Bellegarde has an opportunity to show he can be just as influential as his teammate and continue shining under Pereira The head coach has been at Wolves for nearly four months now and will be fairly well up on his players by now And the appointment has been successful so far, with Vitor Pereira guiding Wolves to nine points clear of the relegation zone And key to Wolves’ improvements lately has been Jean-Ricner Bellegarde He has improved dramatically over the past couple of months, and Bellegarde even won Wolves’ Player of the Month award for February He has been able to play centrally a bit more often recently and Pereira has conceded he didn’t really know where to play him at first Bellegarde endured a tricky first season at Wolves Bellegarde struggled in the Premier League he has been able to play in the middle a bit more we’ve also seen him in the Matheus Cunha position Pereira spoke about Bellegarde at his press conference yesterday ahead of the game with West Ham – and it’s clear how much he rates the Frenchman In the beginning I had doubts about his position in the system but now he can play in different positions he can play as a forward in between the lines The rise of £12.8 million signing Bellegarde (BBC Sport) over the last couple of months has been great to see It has always felt there is a player there but for several reasons he hasn’t been able to impress up until now Bellegarde’s versatility is clearly something Pereira likes a lot And it will be so useful for Wolves and hopefully next season we’ll see him kick on even more Recently, Dave Edwards said Bellegarde is finally showing his value for Wolves With Matheus Cunha and Pablo Sarabia likely to leave this summer the onus will be on him to step up as an attacking midfielder next season – and fans will believe he can do it based on what he’s shown lately Vitor Pereira named an unchanged side to the one which drew against Everton last time out Although the Old Gold started Saturday’s game against Southampton slowly, a brace from Jorgen Strand Larsen sealed the result and boosted the team’s hopes of Premier League survival READ: Vitor Pereira admits tactical realisation at Wolves, it could mean significant change for Joao Gomes Jose Sa couldn’t do much to prevent Southampton’s second half goal The Portuguese shot-stopper otherwise had a decent game Not the captain’s best performance of the season Nelson Semedo struggled to stamp his authority on the game and was second to react to Paul Onuachu’s 75-minute consolation goal Despite being a right-back by trade, Matt Doherty is proving his importance as one of three centre-backs The Irish defender put in another solid display against Ivan Juric’s Saints and, if he keeps on like this, could keep Nasser Djiga out of the Wolves first team for quite a while yet Emmanuel Agbadou keeps on proving why Wolves signed him in January The Ivory Coast was a much-needed addition at the heart of Pereira’s defence and he enjoyed another commendable performance this time out Toti Gomes was reliable once again The Portuguese defender didn’t do much wrong — certainly nothing of note The centre-back is continuing to build a solid defensive partnership with Agbadou Rayan Ait-Nouri had a good match and kept Yukinari Sugawara busy all afternoon the Algerian picked up a knock late on and was forced off Santiago Bueno replaced him with 10 minutes to play Andre didn’t have his best game in an all-Gold kit The South American midfielder has played a lot of football recently and might need a rest Andre has been called up to represent Brazil in the upcoming international break Joao Gomes put on an excellent midfield showing against Southampton The Brazilian almost scored with 20 minutes to go but put his shot narrowly wide He controlled the tempo and was first to just about every ball His presence in the heart of Wolves’ midfielder was crucial to the winning result Marshall Munetsi was not as effective against Southampton as he was against Everton He’ll definitely have better games in a Wolves shirt Subbed off for Goncalo Guedes after 68 minutes Jean-Ricner Bellegarde continued his fine form with another impressive performance His two assists for Strand Larsen turned out to be the difference The Frenchman is proving to be a good replacement for the suspended Matheus Cunha and remains one of Pereira’s most invaluable players Subbed off after 68 minutes for Pablo Sarabia Strand Larsen ended his goal drought with a brace against the Saints The Norweigan forward nodded in fine header in the first half before doubling Wolves’ advantage just after the half-time break He proved a danger man and a constant threat throughout — easily his best performance of the year so far Subbed off for Djiga with a few minutes to play Pablo Sarabia came on and looked lively He almost scored with one of his first touches but was challenged in the box just before unleashing a shot Goncalo Guedes had a quiet cameo The forward offered little threat for the short time he was on the St GW-30 will be a busy mid-week, especially for the seven Premier League sides who feature in the FA Cup Quarterfinals this weekend (Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, Palace, Fulham, Man City & Forest) This plus recent international fixtures in a congested period needs some planning from fantasy managers to second-guess minutes and rotation Pope is a decent price for a strong keeper in a side still on a high since lifting the League Cup a couple of weeks ago The Magpies should fancy themselves in this home fixture Going from strength to strength after scoring on his England debut, Lewis-Skelly offers good value for money in a home fixture in Arsenal’s London derby against a Fulham side who feature over the weekend in the FA Cup He should feature in the FA Cup as he’s been a mainstay, but a Man City home fixture against a poor Leicester side is hard to turn down for Gvardiol who has been one of the top performers so far this season Another defender who features in the FA Cup but has proven to be pivotal to his side in both attack and defense, Munoz should get plenty of attacking opportunity against rock-bottom Southampton Bellegarde is a great budget enabler who has been assisting well recently making it six total for the season alongside two goals Keep an eye on Elanga along with other Forest assets as they feature over the weekend in the FA Cup He scored a brace last time out and could come back to haunt his former club Bowen will be the obvious choice but if you’re in the market for a potential purple-patch enabler He has scored twice in his last three league outings and has decent record when it comes to goal contributions from midfield Three goals plus four assists in his last four games says it all. He’s a must have at the forefront of Man United’s recent change in form Bruno visits a Forest side who may be slighted jaded from FA Cup exploits He was backed in our last Fantrax picks and rewarded us with a goal plus an assist. City may rotate a bit in the FA Cup but Marmoush is a decent budget option and still has plenty of attacking potential One to keep an eye on depending on Palace in the FA Cup, Mateta missed the last game due to injury and may not feature heavily in that quarterfinal. If he’s fit and good to go then a fixture against Southampton will be worth backing him on Hard to look elsewhere when it comes to premium options in attack. Isak should kick-on in Newcastle’s home fixture and he is just one goal away from the 20-goal threshold How are you factoring in the internationals and cup fixtures into your decision-making Please log in and let us know in the comments In their undefeated opening three games, Forest have had 53 shots; Nuno will expect a greater conversion rate as his new charges gel considering the attacking quality at his disposal after another busy summer transfer window. Read moreFor all the 10 new signings, however, Morgan Gibbs-White remains their most creative player. The new England call-up was again influential unfortunate not to be on the winning team against his former employers who gave him his Premier League bow when they were together at Wolves He deserves it and we wish him all the best The fans’ exchanges over Gibbs-White’s relative merits had barely subsided when the teams traded the two goals in a breathtaking opening 12 minutes. Wolves were much better defensively with Craig Dawson recalled after the 6-2 home thrashing by Chelsea, but retained a back four with Toti Gomes at left-back The experiment to field Rayan Aït-Nouri on the left wing did not really work though the Algerian almost scored in the opening moments when he was played in by Matheus Cunha After his first effort nutmegged Matz Sels in the Forest goal Murillo cleared Aït-Nouri’s follow-up off the line Forest went ahead when Wood – hardly a secret weapon for opposing defenders – was left free to power home a header from Elliot Anderson’s corner but the £10m debutant atoned later in the first half with a brilliant save from Gibbs-White’s free-kick arrowing into the top corner he put it in good areas the lads were prepared for.” Chris Wood briefly gives Nottingham Forest the lead during the first half Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/ReutersForest fans had barely stopped celebrating when Wolves equalised Mario Lemina won the ball which Bellegarde cleverly allowed to run across his body before dispatching a powerful 25-yard right-footer into the top corner That was Wolves’s first goal from outside the penalty area in 47 games Forest now boast a wide array of attacking options Anderson’s movement off the ball is superb and the £35m signing from Newcastle United was the recipient of Gibbs-White’s no-look chip into the inside-left channel of the penalty area Wolves were relieved his shot deflected off Yerson Mosquera on to the roof of the net Free daily newsletterKick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football ShowDownload the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.If you already have the Guardian app make sure you’re on the most recent version.In the Guardian app then Notifications.Turn on sport notifications.Was this helpful?Thank you for your feedback.Gibbs-White doesn’t just chip the ball; he scoops it up from the ground as the Wolves defenders did not dare dive in for fear of tripping his quick feet in the area that Forest’s captain invited Wood to head goalwards from six yards out but Wolves had their close calls at the other end Tommy Doyle’s 25-yard humdinger ricocheted just over the bar and O’Neil was booked for his protestations after a free-kick struck Wood on the arm in the area when the Forest striker was looking at his man The home team could argue a header from Wood hit Jørgen Strand Larsen in the first half the referee] but also that it was a penalty It was interesting how close Simon went to blowing his whistle This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has been voted as Wolves’ SUDU Player of the Month for the first time following an impressive transition from the Frenchman during February A regular off the bench so far this season Bellegarde has been the ultimate utility player as he covered in a variety of positions across the forward line since his arrival at the club in summer 2023 But a move to centre-midfield at the beginning of February coincided with an upturn in form for Bellegarde who marked his first start in the centre of the park under Vitor Pereira by opening the scoring in the 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Molineux The Frenchman has since been a pivotal part of the Old Gold side during the last month shining in the wins over Blackburn Rovers and AFC Bournemouth while also providing a neat backheeled assist for Matheus Cunha's strike in the narrow defeat to Liverpool at Anfield February’s award is Bellegarde’s first Player of the Month success and is the latest new name to be voted by supporters this season following wins earlier in the campaign for Andre Nelson Semedo and Emmanual Agbadou - who presented Bellegarde with this month's award - while Cunha has claimed the three other monthly gongs so far this term Bellegarde earned the February award in the tightest month of voting ever Friday's episode of Wolves Express is now live with the podcast looking ahead to the Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur at Molineux on Sunday Head coach Vitor Pereira is first up on the latest episode of the club's official quickfire podcast as the Portuguese reveals whether Matheus Cunha will come back into the side after the conclusion of his suspension this weekend and how he is determined not to let his players relax after being on the verge of securing Premier League survival which has seen the side from north London claim just four points from their last five Premier League outings and that there is still plenty to improve from his own players as he looks to provide the fans with a positive end to a difficult season Listeners can also hear from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Rayan Ait-Nouri as the pair reflect on an important three points at Portman Road last weekend and how the players will continue to push as hard as they can for the rest of the season There is also discussion about how the ever growing French speaking contingent at Compton Park has benefitted them both as well as Emmanuel Agbadou and Marshall Munetsi's adaptation to Molineux and the importance of giving the Wolves supporters a display to be proud of against Tottenham this weekend Released three times a week – every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – Wolves Express is packed with news, updates and exclusive interviews on both the playing and non-playing side of the club, complementing other offerings of the Official Wolves Podcast and Matchday Live Extra Aston Villa – Player props & odds to score a goal on February 1Data Skrive[gambcom-standard rankid="4130" ] Looking to wager on Jean-Ricner Bellegarde to score in Wolverhampton Wanderers' upcoming game against Aston Villa on Saturday Wolverhampton's last game was a 1-0 loss at home against Arsenal FC while being outshot by one in the match Want to watch Jean-Ricner Bellegarde take on Aston Villa? Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Aston Villa is streaming live on Fubo! Soccer player prop odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 6:40 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub in what was a huge boost to their survival hopes Matheus Cunha’s first-half strike secured the three points for Vitor Pereira’s men who moved five points clear of 18th place Ipswich Town instrumental in all of his side’s attacking quality driving them forward with his pace and power while dropping deeper to link play The Brazilian was one of several players who starred at the Vitality Stadium, with Pereira praising Marshall Munetsi on his debut, who joined Jean-Ricner Bellegarde in an attacking trio Bellegarde started after being dropped to the bench against Liverpool and the 26-year-old continued his excellent form under the Portuguese boss Bellegarde has experienced a new lease of life is finally showcasing his talents to the Molineux faithful Bellegarde scored against Aston Villa, helping his side secure an invaluable victory over their rivals, with the Frenchman then starting in Wolves 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup Pereira then made the mistake of leaving him out of the starting lineup at Anfield last weekend as the former Strasbourg man was brilliant from the bench And on a day when Cunha stole the headlines once more Bellegarde was unplayable against the Cherries He was incredible at carrying the ball forward while getting through a sensational amount of defensive work Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s stats vs Bournemouth the Frenchman was influential in every aspect of the game from his appetite to win possession back and ability to win free kicks for his team The only thing arguably missing was a goal but his first-half strike drew a world-class save from Kepa Arrizabalaga For Bellegarde to reach the next level at Wolves he needs to deliver a consistent output of goals and assists he returned an impressive two goals and nine assists showing he’s capable of being a chief creator of chances so far he’s only registered eight goal involvements but on the evidence of his recent displays Bellegarde can shoulder some of the goalscoring responsibility currently carried by Cunha AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has won February 2025's Premier League Save of the Month award for his stunning stop against Wolverhampton Wanderers Kepa produced an incredible reflex save to deny Jean-Ricner Bellegarde's follow-up after Nelson Semedo's initial shot had hit the bottom of a post The Bournemouth goalkeeper was on the floor having reacted to Semedo's initial shot scrambling up to repel Bellegarde's near-post effort with his left hand Kepa now moves joint-second in the all-time list of winners behind Manchester United's Andre Onana who has earned the prize on three occasions Cherries' head coach Andoni Iraola also was named the Barclays Manager of the Month last month Kepa's save topped a shortlist of six of the best across the month He wins the award after votes from the public were combined with those of a panel of experts Liverpool's Egyptian moves level with Kane and Aguero in the all-time rankings after his 10 goal involvements in February Everton manager claims the award for the first time since March 2013 and moves level with Guardiola in all-time list Brighton star's incredible control and finish against Chelsea voted the Premier League's best of February 2025 Michael Owen and Steve Cooper discuss the top-five race and who they think will be in the competition next season Your entry has been submitted successfully Please check your email for further information who widened the gap above the bottom three After Ipswich Town dropped points at the death against Crystal Palace, Wolves’ task was clear heading into the nighttime clash at Molineux Wolves drew 1-1 with Everton to increase the gap between relegation and safety to six points Marshall Munetsi scored the decisive goal on an occasion that saw Andre collect the Man of the Match award seeing several Wolves stars earn high praise for their efforts While Andre dominated the midfield against Everton it was a figure just ahead of the Brazilian who also collected a round of applause Jean-Ricner Bellegarde crafted Munetsi’s first Wolves goal threading the ball through to the January signing to net the equaliser The 26-year-old recorded his fourth assist of the Premier League season to set up his teammate with one element of his game recognised by journalist Liam Keen “I thought Bellegarde was excellent all night,” Keen told Express and Star after the draw it’s amazing what confidence can do for a player all of a sudden.” Keen noticed how much Bellegarde’s confidence has grown in recent weeks a boost that was rewarded with the Frenchman’s third consecutive Premier League start The Express and Star reporter also commented on the role that Pereira is utilising the 2023 signing in crediting his rise in form to his positional tweak “It’s a slightly different position in the front three because he’s not being asked to be on the touchline he’s allowed to come inside and it’s suiting him down to the ground at the moment.”  Bellegarde is a player fueled by confidence The Frenchman’s versatility is one of his greatest strengths, with Pereira seeing just how much the midfielder can offer to his Wolves squad at present As seen above, Bellegarde is relishing his attacking duties, rising as Wolves’ key creator in the absence of the suspended Matheus Cunha Having seen what a boost in confidence has done for the former Strasbourg ace’s season it’s now integral that Pereira assists the player in keeping his form going Bellegarde has gone from strength to strength in recent weeks after a tough start to the campaign with plenty to build on following his goal contribution against Everton Tim Merlier powered to his second victory of the week at Paris-Nice retaining the overall lead ahead of Tuesday’s team time trial It was the sixth success of the season for the 32-year-old who came out on top after a complicated day on the roads to Bellegarde The final 40 kilometers included two nasty crashes and Tim was caught up behind after the first incident of this type after a rider touched his rear wheel the general classification leader escaped unscathed and could rejoin the peloton where his Soudal Quick-Step teammates made sure of protecting him at the front while ramping up the pace behind the lone leader whose gap they erased by the time the race entered the final three kilometers the European Champion waited for the final 150 meters to start his sprint – after another excellent lead-out of Bert Van Lerberghe – and once again unleashed a huge speed to put a couple of bike lengths between him and the other fast men on the way to his 23rd World Tour victory “This is a win I will always remember because it’s for the first time in my career that I got a victory in the leader’s jersey It’s a beautiful success that wouldn’t have been possible without my fantastic team who controlled the race from the beginning and made sure I was in the best position for the bunch sprint I’m happy I could make it two victories in two days but I know it will be difficult to retain the yellow jersey in the team time trial Tim said after our team’s 20th stage win at Paris-Nice Photo credit: ©Dario Belingheri / Getty Images to know how many times a particular page is read We only use this information to improve the content of our website These cookies are only placed after you have given your consent Cunha got a red card against Bournemouth in the FA Cup Cunha was hit with a three-game ban and potentially could miss more games after the FA charged him with improper conduct for his actions after the sending off It is far from ideal for Wolves who have relied on Cunha heavily this season Wolves did pick up a respectable point against Everton Although there was a worrying lack of quality in the final third But one man who did stand up to be counted for against Everton was Jean-Ricner Bellegarde – who’s a player Ian Wright feels could really help Wolves in this time of need Bellegarde has found a new lease of life at Wolves lately The Frenchman has started to see more minutes under Vitor Pereira and has had some opportunities in his preferred central role Bellegarde played as an inside left forward And his perfect pass found Marshall Munetsi to score his first goal for the club On The Kelly & Wrighty Show Ian Wright praised Bellegarde in the absence of Cunha Munetsi on target for the first time 🎯 pic.twitter.com/6bG4lL6nfB He said: “I thought that Bellegarde… did you see Bellegarde I think Gary O’Neil played him on the wing But his main position is attacking midfielder I think once he gets going and Cunha comes back maybe he will be able to contribute more to them so there not so much pressure on just Cunha “I thought Bellegarde was excellent the other day Some Wolves fans felt Bellegarde could actually step up in Cunha’s absence after seeing him play against Everton in his position It has been a long time coming, but Bellegarde – who won Wolves’ latest Player of the Month award – now looks comfortable and confident in a Wolves shirt He stands to be an important player in these next two games especially and potentially for the rest of the season Wright is correct in expressing concern about an overreliance on Cunha But Bellegarde could genuinely ease the burden on the Brazilian now that he seems to believe in himself a lot more Wolves supporters can feel confident about their chances of progression under Vitor Pereira The Portuguese tactician successfully dragged Wolves from relegation and led them 17 points clear of the bottom three It’s been a truly transformational period under Vitor Pereira, who was praised by Jamie Carragher for the job he’s done Now that survival is secure for another campaign, Pereira is predicting ‘big things’ for Wolves following five straight Premier League wins And when they host Leicester City on Saturday fans will truly see his stance on one player as we head towards the transfer window Fans will be intrigued by the team selection against the Foxes. Pereira has hinted at a debut for Mateus Mane, one of the academy’s most talented youngsters, while the big dilemma is what to do with Matheus Cunha It’s been reported that Manchester United are closing in on Cunha who constantly drops hints on social media over where his future lies Wolves supporters want Cunha dropped against Leicester as they would rather play someone who is going to be at the club next season, which is why Jean-Ricner Bellegarde must replace him The Frenchman was left out of the squad completely during the win over Man United but Pereira confirmed that Bellegarde is set to return after training on Thursday Team news: "Sa is OK and working with the team. Bellegarde and Hwang trained yesterday and I believe they can help the team." #wwfc Impressively, Bellegarde is rubbing shoulders with Kevin De Bruyne this term as the 26-year-old has flexed his chance creation by firing ammunition into Jorgen Strand Larsen He’s truly come into his own under Pereira, and Wolves have arguably played better with Bellegarde in the starting lineup instead of the ‘quality’ Cunha explaining why he must be given the nod ahead of the Brazilian Pereira is a huge fan of Bellegarde and it’s been remarkable to watch him finally fulfil his potential in a Wolves shirt the former Strasbourg man puts in an incredible amount of effort on the pitch pressing the opposition ferociously and winning the ball back Bellegarde, who has been dubbed ‘amazing’ this term has also produced metrics which suggest Wolves shouldn’t miss Cunha as much as first thought he isn’t on the same level as his teammate in terms of output but his all-round game both on and off the ball make him a joy to watch The Frenchman played a starring role in Wolves’ 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Molineux, a result that lifted Vitor Pereira’s men out of the relegation zone Bellegarde opened the scoring for Wanderers after good play by Goncalo Guedes But Bellegarde’s whole performance was just superb And with Blackburn Rovers up next for Wolves there is simply one thing that must not happen with Bellegarde Wolves are taking on Blackburn in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Ewood Park on Sunday and the team Pereira picks will be very interesting Pereira surprised a lot of people with his last XI against Bristol City Many did not expect him to go as strong as he did The Wolves manager seems ready to take the competition very seriously and he may be acutely aware of the way the club went out of the competition last season at the hands of Coventry City There will be a temptation to go strong again against Blackburn – but Pereira must not drop Bellegarde Joao Gomes is available again after suspension there is new signing Marshall Munetsi who might be in line for minutes and Tommy Doyle will no doubt be itching to play after a lack of minutes again this season But Pereira can’t drop Bellegarde after his performance against Villa He’s someone who has struggled at times in a Wolves shirt so to drop him after his Villa display could really break the player’s confidence It’s been hard for him as he’s a player who’s been shunted out wide a lot when that’s not where he’s most comfortable Bellegarde deserves the chance to build some form in the middle and hopefully One would think there is a more than reasonable chance that Bellegarde will indeed start against Blackburn After the game with Villa, Pereira admitted Bellegarde was ‘a fantastic surprise’ He clearly made a big impression on his manager Dave Edwards said Bellegarde has shown how valuable he can be for Wolves when playing centrally and this really is not the time to be dropping him He’s in a good moment and the Blackburn game is a chance for Bellegarde to play back-to-back games in an area of the pitch he feels most comfortable in and he shouldn’t be robbed of the opportunity If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. In Wolves’ case When they arrived at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, they had gone 497 days without a Premier League goal from outside the penalty area That span included 47 league games and 173 unsuccessful efforts on goal from outside the box At the City Ground, the 174th time turned out to be the charm for Jean-Ricner Bellegarde when Bellegarde ended the long wait for another outside-the-box goal three of that Leicester XI were no longer at Wolves and Noel and Liam… well they probably still can’t stand each other When it came to long-range rockets last season Wolverhampton was the barren wasteland of Europe Wolves were the only club in Europe’s top five leagues not to score from outside the box with Bournemouth the Premier League club to push them closest for the bottom spot Getafe in Spain (one) Augsburg and Freiburg in Germany (all three) ran them close In the same campaign, Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain registered 15 goals from outside the area and even Burnley managed 10 Between Cunha’s goal at Leicester and Bellegarde’s at Forest the Brazilian was Wolves’ most prolific long-range shooter Pablo Sarabia was next on 21 and Mario Lemina third on 20 In fact, it was Bellegarde who came closest to avoiding last season’s unwanted statistical quirk. His fine goal in the controversial defeat at Sheffield United in November came just millimetres inside the area On a map of Wolves’ shots from the whole of O’Neil’s first campaign Bellegarde’s strike is the red dot closest to the edge of the penalty area and surrounded by a sea of unsuccessful efforts his strike at the City Ground takes pride of place as the most spectacular of his side’s 32 shots so far increased from 15.5 yards last season to 18.4 so far this term might be an indication that they have decided to try pot shots Or it might be a reflection that they have already faced Arsenal and Chelsea and were taking their shots where they could get them it is too early in the season to draw any definitive conclusions other than every football fan enjoys seeing their team register what Wolves fans on social media were quick on Saturday to call a ‘thunderb******’ and it has been too long since they got to celebrate one What few right-minded fans could dispute is that Bellegarde’s rocket past a helpless Matz Sels and into the top corner in front of the Trent End gave Wolves a point they thoroughly deserved from a performance that showed signs of improvement from the chastening 6-2 defeat to Chelsea six days earlier The 34-year-old centre-back might not allow Wolves to play the high-press, high-line brand of football that O’Neil envisaged at the start of the season when new defenders were expected to arrive in the transfer window, but the former West Brom and West Ham centre-back can still head and kick the ball away from his own goal as well as any defender in the league but it proved handy on Saturday that Dawson displayed that uncanny knack of standing in the right place to defend But with one emphatic strike of Bellegarde’s right boot Wolves got at least one monkey off their back a few more ‘thunderb******s’ would be most welcome A brace from Jorgen Strand Larsen, assisted twice by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, sent Wolves nine points clear of the relegation zone after Leicester City and Ipswich Town both lost Wolves now have a 1.8% chance of being relegated, suggesting Vitor Pereira has done a fantastic job since replacing Gary O’Neil in December But Pereira doesn’t think Wolves are safe till it’s mathematically confirmed even with fixtures against West Ham and Ipswich Town on the horizon it wasn’t the most convincing performance collectively as the visitors faced a nervy final 15 minutes once the Saints pulled one back the displays of two attacking individuals stood out with Bellegarde and Strand Larsen producing the quality moments that decided the contest Bellegarde’s sumptuous cross saw Strand Larsen glance his header past Aaron Ramsdale the Frenchman’s incisive pass allowed the Norwegian to finish calmly Recognising their roles in the win at St Mary’s, Alan Shearer has named the Wolves duo in his Premier League Team of the Week for gameweek 29 “What a performance and what a big win for Wolves He has been transformed since Vitor Pereira took charge – two crucial assists is testament to that,” he said of Bellegarde scoring two clinically taken goals that should ease Wolves’ relegation worries,” he wrote on Strand Larsen Strand Larsen hadn’t scored since the 2-2 draw against Tottenham in December But his brace in Saturday’s victory propelled him to nine goals in 2024/25 seeing him move one away from double figures The only Wolves players who have managed this previously are Raul Jimenez With only nine matches remaining, surely Strand Larsen will hit double figures for goals in the Premier League and become only the fifth Wolves player to do so after Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was named Player of the Month for February Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has really turned a corner at Molineux recently having found starts hard to come by in the first-half of the campaign It all started when Vitor Pereira deployed Bellegarde in central midfield alongside Andre against Aston Villa Bellegarde shone that night in Wolves’ 2-0 win grabbing the team’s first goal with a fantastic finish at the near post with lively displays against Liverpool (off the bench) Bournemouth and Fulham in the Premier League Many felt Bellegarde would have made a deserving Player of the Month winner – and that has now come to pass Cunha leaked Bellegarde as the latest Player of the Month winner earlier today and fans have been reacting to the Frenchman’s win on social media Bellegarde’s turnaround has been nice to see It has often felt as though he doesn’t really have a player in this team given the other options available Earlier this season Dave Edwards expressed his sympathy with Bellegarde having to play out wide a lot 👏You voted Jean-Ricner Bellegarde your SUDU Player of the Month for February 🏆 it’s been clear to see recently that he is far more effective in a central role Bellegarde himself has admitted he’s more comfortable centrally fans have reacted very positively to this news coming out of Molineux today The feeling is that Bellegarde really does deserve his award with some piling on extra praise given he’s been criticised a lot during his time at Wolves @BellegardeSZN said: “Doubters well and truly silenced Who would of guessed playing him in the right position would make him play well but people just said I don’t know what I’m talking about and he’ll be bad know matter where he plays.” Well deserved 👏🏻🧡🖤🐺💪 https://t.co/JZAsx02Xmx @ruariwwfc added: “Some player he is.” @Lanertron said: “Deserved Good attitude and has put in some decent hardworking performances @MrRyanLeister even felt Bellegarde is a new player these days: “After a miserable footballing weekend JRB a new player since the game v Villa and Agbadou a centre back we’ve badly missed in recent weeks @kevtheman10 said: “Fair play to Bellegarde being voted player of the month for February It was obvious Wolves would get the best out of him with playing in his natural position on the pitch.” Bellegarde seems a popular winner based on the reaction on social media It’s been a tricky time for him at Molineux but he has shown in recent weeks that he can fit into this team he’s looked like a player reborn under Pereira He has simply got to keep that momentum going now and keep riding the wave of confidence but Wolves need him on top form in their precarious position down at the bottom of the table Wolverhampton Wanderers picked up their first point of the season as Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s stunning strike secured a 1-1 draw at the City Ground Chris Wood’s towering header put the hosts ahead after 10 minutes but the visitors were level just two minutes later through Bellegarde’s superb effort from 20 yards out both sides had chances to take all three points though the hosts looked more likely to find a winner in the second half Wolves debutant Sam Johnstone had to make a superb save to deny Wood his second goal of the match as Gary O'Neil's men held on for their first point of the season unbeaten Forest sit eighth in the table while Wolves climb to 17th and out of the relegation zone Wood gave Forest an early lead, heading Elliot Anderson’s corner past Johnstone and into the bottom-right corner responded immediately through Bellegarde’s stunning long-range effort after the ball sat up perfectly for the midfielder to fire into the roof of the net from outside the area Matheus Cunha dragged an effort wide of the post before Johnstone made a good stop to push Morgan Gibbs-White’s free-kick wide as an open first half ended all square Anderson’s deflected effort narrowly dipped over the crossbar and Johnstone denied Wood with a strong hand as the hosts searched for a winner after the break Matheus Cunha then curled an effort narrowly wide of a post in the visitors’ best chance of the second half before Wood thought he had won it late on only for his strike to be ruled out for offside Forest continued their unbeaten start to the season, though they may be slightly frustrated at having to settle for a point against Midlands rivals Wolves, as head coach Nuno Espirito Santo was unable to claim victory over his former employers After taking four points from six to start the season there was an air of positivity around the City Ground ahead of kick-off It was a dream start when Wood netted for a second home match in a row but Bellegarde's stunning response saw their momentum dissipate somewhat Forest got back on the front foot in the second half as Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Gibbs-White caused the visitors problems with their pace and movement but they were unable to find a second goal Midfielder Anderson also impressed, but it will be his midfield partner, Ibrahim Sangare after he was substituted with an injury early in the second half Wolves boss O’Neil was able to enjoy a far more resolute defensive display from his side than the one that was punished by six Chelsea goals last weekend O’Neil handed a debut to Deadline Day signing Johnstone in goal while also welcoming the experienced Craig Dawson and Nelson Semedo back in defence They showed a positive reaction from that Chelsea defeat inside two minutes as Rayan Ait-Nouri was played through by Matheus Cunha but the full-back could not squeeze the ball through the legs of the goalkeeper from a tight angle was worth the admission fee alone and represented the perfect response to falling behind Wolves continue to face a run of tough fixtures to open the new season but they have at least laid a foundation by taking a point from a tricky away match Nott'm Forest report | Wolves report Nuno Espirito Santo: "We did a lot of good things things that normally can guide us to a win but with all my respect we could have got the two [extra] points." It was one that you feel like you could win but also there were the moments you feel like you could lose Each of the last four league games between Nottingham Forest and Wolves have now ended in draws after today’s 1-1 result the most in succession during this fixture’s history It’s also the same number of stalemates as across their 20 league meetings combined both Nottingham Forest and Wolves have kept just two clean sheets – the joint-fewest of any side to play in both the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns during that time Chris Wood scored the opener for Nottingham Forest in this match with his seventh Premier League goal against Wolves – the joint-most he’s netted against any opposition in the competition (also seven v West Ham) Wolves’ Mario Lemina assisted his side’s opening goal to make it two assists across his last seven Premier League matches just one fewer than the three he managed across his prior 124 appearances in the competition The Frenchman has really turned a corner since the arrival of Vitor Pereira and is now one of the team’s most in-form players After being given a chance in the middle against Aston Villa, Bellegarde has been a regular for Wanderers and looks a player reborn With Matheus Cunha unavailable through suspension it has been important for other players to step up and he is certainly doing that Wolves fans recently suggested Bellegarde could be Cunha’s replacement while he’s out – and against Southampton He set Jorgen Strand Larsen up for both of his goals to take his tally of assists to six for the season We are finally seeing the best of Bellegarde in a Wolves shirt It has been hard at times for him at Molineux with Gary O’Neil often playing him out wide But recently he’s started to pick up more central positions – and that is clearly where he’s more comfortable Bellegarde was signed in the summer of 2023 He was essentially the replacement for Matheus Nunes who left the club to join Manchester City after going on strike Bellegarde even assumed Nunes’ old number 27 shirt It was widely accepted that Nunes’ time at Wolves was disappointing with many feeling he should have contributed more goals and assists as a box-to-box player A lovely header from JSL to put us ahead 🎯 pic.twitter.com/NOmYBbWQMO He’s continued to struggle in the Premier League and to date he’s only made seven assists in the competition Somewhat embarrassingly for him, his replacement at Wolves Bellegarde has now equalled his tally of seven assists in the Premier League (via premierleague.com) Bellegarde has got to seven in 49 appearances Nunes still only has one Premier League to his name Bellegarde won Wolves’ latest Player of the Month award and it was fully deserved His performances have been brilliant lately and it’s clear to see he’s now playing with newfound confidence, no doubt brought about by Vitor Pereira and the role he’s handed him. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jean-Ricner Bellegarde 🇫🇷🇭🇹 (@bellegardejr) Bellegarde – who Ian Wright recently called ‘brilliant’ – is proving to be a much better fit for Wolves than Nunes who arguably only had a handful of great performances in an old gold shirt It is very satisfying that Wolves were able to get rid of a player who didn’t fit and didn’t want to be at the club and replace him with someone who now looks a seriously handy player Pereira recorded a record-breaking start to life as Wolves manager, going unbeaten in his first three games in the Premier League the Portuguese coach has had his fair share of hurdles to overcome but it’s becoming increasingly clear that he was the right hire Having been in the job at Molineux since December, Pereira’s favoured XI has started to emerge but the boss is still open to a few surprises from his players Matheus Cunha’s influence at Wolves goes without saying but the Brazilian isn’t the only player to have helped Pereira with a smooth transition to the Premier League A surprise figure has emerged as a strong shout to help the Old Gold in the run-in to survive relegation, with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde playing his part in recent weeks It’s been a hard season for the Frenchman, as Bellegarde has been exposed to criticism for the majority of the campaign but things seem to be looking up for the 2023 signing Bellegarde was the star of the show against Aston Villa and has since earned a greater level of trust from his manager which was something Pereira has recently touched upon Pereira was praising Joao Gomes’ stability in midfield before he chose to raise the revelation of Bellegarde in the middle “You know what happened with this suspension that he [Gomes] got, we won another midfielder,” the boss explained, via Express and Star I thought that was not the position for him I’m very happy because we won another midfielder and a midfielder that I believe can help us.” Being given a licence to roam in midfield has been a long-term desire of Bellegarde, who revealed it’s his favourite position when dissecting his five-star display against Villa in the derby Signed from RC Strasbourg on deadline day in the summer transfer window of 2023 O’Neil was charmed by Bellegarde’s versatility but at times had noted that the Frenchman was best in the middle In the pre-season of the 2024/25 campaign, O’Neil praised Bellegarde’s approach in midfield admitting that he wanted to test the 26-year-old there What’s bizarre about Bellegarde’s stay at Wolves is that the player has rarely been gifted consistency in one role as seen above through the positions he’s played It’s surprising given that Wolves signed the former Ligue 1 star due to his impressive displays in midfield for Strasbourg having a player as versatile as Bellegarde is a treasure given that the star can be trusted in a range of roles but that doesn’t exempt him from being given the chance to show his worth in his favoured area Pereira’s latest comments seem to hint at the fact that the boss is ready to give O’Neil’s signing more of a chance in central midfield which will be a good opportunity for the player to build some form Wolves put in an excellent performance against Bournemouth and ran out deserving 1-0 winners thanks to a winning goal from Matheus Cunha Wolves’ Game Week 26 could not have gone any better after Leicester City were thumped 4-0 by Brentford on Friday and Ipswich Town fell to a 4-1 defeat against Spurs READ: Vitor Pereira admits there was one clear factor as to why he chose Wolves after Gary O’Neil sacking Heading back to the Midlands with all three points, the Wolves first team will be buzzing with how they did against Bournemouth And following the superb result, which could prove decisive in the race for survival Molineux News have looked at what supporters learned from the match A peripheral figure under previous managers, Jean-Ricner Bellegarde has struggled to become a regular starter — that looks to be changing under Pereira though The Frenchman is proving to be a versatile option His performances against Aston Villa and Liverpool proved he can influence proceedings centrally but Saturday’s game against Bournemouth showed he’s just as effective in a more advanced role and although Cunha will get the headlines for scoring the winner it was Wolves’ number 27 who was the side’s unsung hero… again Learning from his past mistake which saw Joao Gomes’ sending off against Arsenal cost Wolves vital points The Portuguese manager’s decision was helped by Marshall Munetsi’s January Deadline Day signing The commanding midfielder’s availability has gifted Pereira more options in the heart of midfield and made it easier for Joao Gomes to come off at the mid-way point on Saturday The former Stade Reims star is quickly becoming one of the Old Gold’s most indispensable players Despite starting his career as a traditional right-back, Matt Doherty who is enjoying his second spell at Wolves has been asked to reinvent his playing style Tasked with forming one-third of a back three the Ireland international has played as a right-sided centre-back under Pereira The experienced defender put in another great performance against the Cherries and will definitely be starting against Fulham next week Despite losing for the 16th time in the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, Wolves can’t feel too disheartened by their defeat to Liverpool The Old Gold were unlucky to not have got more from the game, with Wolves fans taking aim at referee Simon Hooper amid a flurry of controversial incidents Pereira watched his side make Anfield feel uneasy with their ability to generate wave after wave of attack but unfortunately had just one goal to show for their efforts While there was a lot to improve from Wolves’ first-half performance at Anfield whatever was said at half-time certainly inspired the squad As well as possible words of encouragement in the dressing room bringing off Goncalo Guedes and Pablo Sarabia It was the right decision to hook Guedes and Sarabia it only emphasised the mistake the boss made when selecting his starting XI Jean-Ricner Bellegarde was dropped from the starting lineup however was restored after the interval as Pereira needed a fresh approach The Frenchman made the Wolves manager regret his selection call moments after coming onto the pitch at Anfield, as Bellegarde was one of the Old Gold’s brightest sparks Many were confused not to see the 2023 signing in the starting lineup having impressed in recent games with the midfielder surely not set to miss out again after his spirited cameo As seen by the 26-year-old’s numbers against Liverpool bringing more to the game in the second half than what was seen from his teammates in the first After Bellegarde’s heroics against Aston Villa last time out in the Premier League it was a shock not to see Gary O’Neil’s signing start the game Bellegarde scores his first goal at Molineux! 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/fO3yTsQzRh Pereira is surely now aware of the mistake he made as the Frenchman introduced a new level of energy and desire to Wolves’ front line it would be careless to not select Bellegarde who was head and shoulders above the likes of Sarabia and Guedes at Anfield Wanderers still haven’t won in the league and currently sit rock bottom with one point from six games But Wolves have been competitive the players have been unable to see games out and capitalise on promising periods of play O’Neil has made some interesting selections so far this year And one thing he has liked to do is start Jean-Ricner Bellegarde out wide Following the Frenchman’s display against Liverpool it may now be time to abandon this experiment in favour of playing a more natural option Bellegarde did not have a particularly good first season at Wolves, after signing for the club from Strasbourg for around £12.8 million The star was actually fantastic on his debut against Liverpool but then struggled to replicate that level He just couldn’t really show any consistency and his campaign was also interrupted by injury But Bellegarde returned to Wolves this summer and impressed Gary O’Neil in pre-season and has started the new season in favour with the manager with the likes of Hwang Hee-chan and Pablo Sarabia taking more of a backseat The manager even said that he fully thought Bellegarde could become a regular for Wolves this season But Bellegarde’s pre-season performances have not really translated over into the new season After playing him deeper in midfield in pre-season O’Neil has had Bellegarde playing out wide for most of 2024/25 – and it’s not something that has really worked who chose to pass backwards several times rather than take on Trent Alexander-Arnold That said, when he did try to be more positive, he failed to make an impact. As per Sofascore data he attempted just one dribble against the Reds He just came across as a player not comfortable in the position he was playing – and O’Neil should not persist with this experiment for a second longer It has been odd to see O’Neil shoehorning Bellegarde into wide positions this season Bellegarde played mostly in the middle and contributed two goals and nine assists in 31 appearances but the wide positions don’t suit him that much The brilliant goal he got against Nottingham Forest which earned Wolves their only point of the season so far came after he had cropped up in a central position As sporting director Matt Hobbs stated when Bellegarde first signed, he is ‘athletic, technical and has the ability to drive with the ball’ with that is that he’d have very strong competition in the form of Joao Gomes But him playing on the wing surely can’t continue especially when there are more natural and more direct options like Goncalo Guedes and Carlos Forbs available Jean-Ricner Bellegarde believes Wolves’ – as well as his own – improvements during the second half of the season have been down to the confidence instilled in the players by head coach Vitor Pereira The Frenchman has been in impressive form since the arrival of the Portuguese which has culminated in Bellegarde picking up the club’s SUDU Player of the Month award in February as well as being nominated for the Premier League’s best player gong last month Bellegarde has also been helped by the arrival of French-speaking teammates Emmanuel Agbadou and Marshall Munetsi in January and feels the whole group have benefited from the ‘breath of fresh air’ which came with the mid-season additions It was a very important match for us and a great victory We knew we had to get the points there and we had the feeling of a team that wanted to fight to stay in the Premier League “We really felt that until the end – from the starters to the bench players and we got to celebrate in the changing room with the coach because he wasn’t on the bench during the game but he was still part of the celebrations afterwards.” The pitchside view of the winner at the weekend 😍 pic.twitter.com/20SiuZDAyQ On overcoming a difficult start to the season “We can’t exactly pinpoint where the struggle was but we can say we conceded a lot of goals and didn’t score enough “It was important for the ream to build trust again because if you are stringing together matches without points “But now you can feel the team is a bit more stable together again We’re conceding fewer goals and fewer goals equals better results.” I think being a coach in that situation is hard He came into a difficult situation because we were a team that lacked confidence “But he managed to come in and give confidence to the players and he passed his strong desire to win on to the team “It was a breath of fresh air and obviously and he has helped the players believe in themselves again.” On Wolves’ growing French-speaking contingent “I invite the others to my house because my wife has been cooking some nice meals “It’s good to be able to speak French together and we can speak in French on the pitch when the conditions allow it so it’s made it easier to integrate them into the club We give each other advice if needed and there’s a great atmosphere between us.” Pereira is getting the best out of Bellegarde with the 2023 signing now thriving and high on confidence playing in attacking midfield Amid Bellegarde’s rise in the Wolves squad Molineux News can share everything you need to know about the versatile star Bellegarde is a French footballer who plays for Wolves The versatile midfielder represented RC Lens and Strasbourg before signing for Wolves in 2023 Bellegarde was born June 27th 1998 in Colombes Bellegarde has featured as a central midfielder most prominently in his career however it’s difficult to tie the 26-year-old down to one position The Frenchman is also capable of playing attacking roles in the wide areas and centrally as well as being called into action in defensive midfield Bellegarde wears the number 27 shirt at Wolves Wolves paid £12.8m to sign Bellegarde on deadline day of the 2023 summer transfer window Bellegarde earns £35k-a-week at Wolves, as per data provided by Capology Bellegarde has yet to earn a cap at senior international level however the midfielder has featured for France U21 The Wolves star earned three caps for France U21 where he played alongside Real Madrid superstar Eduardo Camavinga in midfield Bellegarde has two confirmed social media accounts Bellegarde announced his marriage on Instagram in 2021 however The striker released a photo on his social media before the club had a chance to confirm the news The month of February started really well for Vitor Pereira including beating rivals Aston Villa 2-0 in the Midlands Derby Things got worse the closer to March we got Wolves suffered defeats either side of their 1-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth Liverpool and Fulham both claimed 2-1 victories READ: Wolves warned that ‘pathetic’ Matheus Cunha actions could have repercussions for Fosun as well as Vitor Pereira Jean Ricner-Bellegarde has been a key player for Pereira The French midfielder has showcased his versatility by playing both as one of two Number 10s and more centrally He opened the scoring against Aston Villa and has gone from strength to strength ever since As a result, the 26-year-old has deservingly picked up the award for the best Wolves player for the month of February and Cunha couldn’t wait to tell the world 👀 Looks like Cunha has beaten #Wolves to announcing the player of the month for February on his Instagram story. Congratulations and well deserved Jean-Ricner Bellegarde #wwfc pic.twitter.com/VdWwD5ga9Y Former manager Gary O’Neil tipped Bellegarde to become a regular starter and that is exactly what has happened Our number 27 is completely deserving of the award and will be pleased his contributions have been recognised Bellegarde becomes Wolves’ fourth player to win the SUDU ‘Player of the Month’ award after Cunha (Aug, Nov and Dec), Nelson Semedo (Oct) and Emmanuel Agbadou (Jan) Cunha’s social media post came before Wolves had time to make the announcement While the Brazilian’s spoiler probably won’t land him in hot water we can’t imagine the club’s media team will be thrilled at the timing of his post as proven by his recent on-field antics which included violently clashing with Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez the club must do their best to contain him as they prepare to cash in on him in the summer and making himself the centre-of-attention again won’t help matters which he signed after the January window closed is reported to contain a minimum release clause worth £62.5 million Gary O’Neil will be overjoyed with his side’s performance in the capital as the Old Gold secured a long overdue three points on the road It was the first away win in the Premier League in nine months reinforcing the quality on show on match day 12 O’Neil was praised for his confidence against Fulham on an afternoon where several Wolves players stood out Matheus Cunha was the star of the show against Fulham as the Brazilian scored two sensational goals to stun the hosts The forward wasn’t the only player who dazzled at Craven Cottage, considering that captain Mario Lemina played centre-back and excelled Wolves’ skipper was so good that Cunha joked that Lemina should play in defence more often however the man himself has called for the spotlight to have more coverage the Gabon international emphasised that ‘the whole team’ deserved credit as praise was understandably directed at the likes of Cunha and Joao Gomes “We need to believe in all of the players we have. Dawson, Santi and Pablo were missing and are all really important for us, but there’s other players as well,” Lemina said via Express and Star is in the starting XI and has an amazing game as well The Wolves captain applauded the display of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde who has had a relatively quiet start to the season While it was fair for Lemina to call for wider coverage of praise in the aftermath of the win there’s still a lot more that needs to be seen from Bellegarde The versatile attacker, who was signed for £13m in 2023 is a quality asset to have in the squad however O’Neil called on Bellegarde to contribute more goals ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and so far the Frenchman has two contributions in 11 this term While it’s true that the 26-year-old was useful going forward against Fulham his performance was rather forgetful for the reason that the manager stressed With competition for places in attack brewing Bellegarde must take his chances to step up and show the boss what he can truly do