Promoted without playing, Wolves did the job back on the pitch to underline why this forthcoming spell in the Premier League should be a significant upgrade on the last.
Wolves return a very different animal to the one that limped tamely out of the top-flight in 2012, tail between their legs on just 25 points.
The two campaigns beforehand were a major struggle under Mick McCarthy but the club has been rebuilt since and ambitions next season are loftier than simple survival.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 43 | 29 | 8 | 6 | 42 | 95 |
| 2 | Cardiff City | 42 | 25 | 8 | 9 | 29 | 83 |
| 3 | Fulham | 43 | 23 | 13 | 7 | 31 | 82 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 43 | 23 | 10 | 10 | 27 | 79 |
| 5 | Middlesbrough | 43 | 20 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 69 |
| 6 | Millwall | 43 | 18 | 15 | 10 | 15 | 69 |
| 7 | Derby County | 42 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 68 |
| 8 | Preston North End | 43 | 17 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 66 |
| 9 | Sheffield United | 43 | 19 | 9 | 15 | 8 | 66 |
| 10 | Brentford | 43 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 65 |
| 11 | Bristol City | 43 | 17 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 65 |
| 12 | Ipswich Town | 43 | 16 | 8 | 19 | -3 | 56 |
| 13 | Norwich City | 43 | 14 | 14 | 15 | -8 | 56 |
| 14 | Leeds United | 43 | 15 | 9 | 19 | -7 | 54 |
| 15 | Queens Park Rangers | 43 | 14 | 11 | 18 | -11 | 53 |
| 16 | Sheffield Wednesday | 43 | 12 | 14 | 17 | -8 | 50 |
| 17 | Nottingham Forest | 42 | 14 | 7 | 21 | -15 | 49 |
| 18 | Hull City | 43 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 2 | 47 |
| 19 | Reading | 43 | 10 | 13 | 20 | -15 | 43 |
| 20 | Bolton Wanderers | 43 | 9 | 13 | 21 | -30 | 40 |
| 21 | Birmingham City | 43 | 11 | 7 | 25 | -31 | 40 |
| 22 | Barnsley | 42 | 8 | 14 | 20 | -19 | 38 |
| 23 | Burton Albion | 43 | 8 | 11 | 24 | -45 | 35 |
| 24 | Sunderland | 43 | 6 | 16 | 21 | -29 | 34 |
As it is Nuno Espirito Santo's side would be more than a match for many in the tier above, but Fosun's cash and Jorge Mendes's contacts mean another busy summer is inevitable.