Wolves have more firepower up front, but defensive frailties may mean another busy season for Marcus Hahnemann in goal

Guardian writers’ predictions: 18th (NB: this is not necessarily Paul’s prediction, but the average of our writers’ tips)

Last season’s position: 15th

Odds to win the league: 3,000-1

Wolves need fangs. They were the most toothless team in the league last season, failing to score in nearly half the games they played (17 out of 38) and mustering fewer goals than anyone else. Not being an idiot, Mick McCarthy knows this. And he has done something about it.

Steven Fletcher looks a shrewd signing from Burnley, the ideal partner for Kevin Doyle, who too often last season was condemned to running himself into the ground on his own up front. The frequency with which Wolves played 4-5-1 may have been a reflection of the manager’s deeply ingrained caution, but it might also have been a pragmatic acknowledgement that he didn’t have another player dangerous enough to consistently deploy alongside Doyle, with none of Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Andy Keogh and Chris Iwelumo looking up to the task.

The arrival of Fletcher, a canny mover and reliable finisher, removes that excuse. Indeed, the form of Ebanks-Blake in pre-season has suggested that he, too, deserves a second crack at the Premier League and explains why, even if Doyle does not recover from the injury that has been niggling him recently in time for tomorrow’s kick-off, McCarthy will start with two up front against Stoke. Wolves look to have a better strike-force than the three promoted teams.

The other reason this correspondent does not agree with the aggregated prediction above is that the supply to the strikers should also be better this season. Like Fletcher, Stephen Hunt looks a fine acquisition. He may not be the game’s most elegant winger but he is a persistent menace, snapping and bustling down the channels relentlessly, creating openings for others or forging them for himself. Had he been fit for the denouement of last season’s campaign, Hull would probably have survived.

He also has a proven ability to combine well with Doyle, the pair having played together at Reading as well as with the Republic of Ireland. With Hunt and Fletcher to complement Doyle, it is unlikely that Jody Craddock will again be Wolves’ second-highest scorer, as he was last season, with five goals.

McCarthy does not have the money to make any further additions to his squad but he will have the tricky Michael Kightly back after injury and can trust in the ability of players such as Matt Jarvis, Karl Henry and Dave Edwards to continue to improve. All three of them grew into the Premier League last season, getting better as the campaign progressed to the point that they looked quite at home in the top flight. They are, however, quite similar in style and, given the inconsistency of Nenad Milijas, Wolves do lack a midfield conjurer to dissect defences with cunning passes. Then again, so do a lot of other teams.

If we can expect Wolves to be better going forward this season than last, their defence may well be more dodgy. Christophe Berra should remain a reliable rock but time, surely, is eroding the 35-year-old Craddock’s effectiveness. Loanee Michael Mancienne played mostly as a holding midfielder last season but the emergence of Adlène Guedioura means he will not be missed following his return to Chelsea – he might, however, have been a useful option in the centre of defence, though someone even more skilled would have been preferable.

Ronald Zubar is too error-prone to fit that bill, and may be needed at full-back where Kevin Foley’s lack of pace can be problematic. Jelle Van Damme is decent on the other side and Greg Halford, initially expected to be cast out this summer, has been so impressive in pre-season that McCarthy has decided to keep him, though that may say more about his lack of transfer funds than any belated development by the defender. It looks like Wolves are again going to need Marcus Hahnemann to perform more saves than any other Premier League keeper.

Wolverhampton WanderersPremier LeaguePaul Doyleguardian.co.uk