Julen Lopetegui has left Wolves just three days before the start of the new Premier League season.
The Spaniard had been in charge of the club for nine months and kept them in the Premier League after taking over with the team bottom last Christmas.
Lopetegui had criticised the club’s lack of spending during this summer’s window and cut a frustrated figure over the last few weeks.
Meanwhile, Wolves have also seen a number of the club’s best players leave during this summer.
A club statement announcing Lopetegui’s departure from Wolves read: “The head coach and club acknowledged and accepted their differences of opinion on certain issues and agreed that an amicable end to his contract was the best solution for all parties.”
Monday 14th August 6:30pm
Kick off 8:00pm
Sky Sports News understands Gary O’Neil is the club’s No 1 choice to fill the now-vacant head coaching role.
The club interviewed a number of candidates last week and he was immediate top choice. An appointment could come as soon as tomorrow.
O’Neil has been out of work since being sacked by Bournemouth in June but has been linked with a host of jobs over the summer.
He kept the Cherries in the Premier League, racking up 39 points and finishing 15th. Despite that achievement he did not keep hold of his job with former Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola becoming Bournemouth’s new head coach.
The Wolves hierarchy believe O’Neil could do a similar job with little funds and a provie much-needed morale boost for the club.
But Wolves are without a head coach less than a week before they begin the Premier League season away at Manchester United, live on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
Merson: Wolves playing a dangerous game – I can’t see them surviving
Sky Sports’ Paul Merson:
“A lot of the owners in the bottom half of the Premier League table are taking a chance. They’re looking at Luton and Sheffield United coming up and thinking: “We’re going to be better than them, if we’re better than one more team, why do we have to spend £100m wage and give £100,000 a week wages.”
“That’s the problem with Wolves, they’re getting rid of all these players and not getting anyone in. My only thinking is they’re saying: “we need to be better than Luton and Sheffield United”. And it’s a dangerous game.
“Looking at the current picture, I don’t think Wolves stay up. If Gary O’Neil comes in, he will do a good job. If they do bring someone in, they would need the advantage of someone managing in the Premier League as good as yesterday. So he would come in and know the teams.
“You wouldn’t want to bring someone in from abroad who would just have to get used to it. Gary would know all those players, he wouldn’t have worked with them but played against them. But someone else would ask for six months and then they’re relegated by Christmas.”
Wolves start PL season at Man Utd on MNF – live on Sky
Wolves will start their 2023/24 Premier League campaign away at Manchester United on Monday August 14, live on Monday Night Football at 8pm.
They then host Brighton at Molineux on August 19 before two away games against Everton (August 26) and Crystal Palace (September 2).
Wolves host treble-winners Manchester City on September 30th and Aston Villa in the first Black Country derby of the season the weekend after on October 7. The reverse fixture against Villa is March 30.
The first game against Nottingham Forest is on December 9 at Molineux and the reverse fixture at the City Ground takes place on April 13.
Wolves face a tough end to the season with a home game against Arsenal on April 20, and away trips to Manchester City (May 4) and Liverpool on the final day on May 19.
Wolves’ transfer ins and outs
In
Boubacar Traore – Metz, £9.5m
Matt Doherty – Atletico Madrid, free
Tom King – Northampton, free
Out
Ryan Giles – Luton, undisclosed
Luke Cundle – Plymouth, loan
Conor Coady – Leicester, £7.5m
Nathan Collins – Brentford, £23m
Raul Jimenez – Fulham, £5.5m
Ruben Neves – Al Hilal, £47m
Hayao Kawabe – Standard Liege, undisclosed
Dion Sanderson – Birmingham, undisclosed
Jackson Smith – Walsall, undisclosed
Diego Costa – Released
Luke Matheson – Released
Joao Moutinho – Released
Taylor Perry – Released
Michael Agboola – Released
Lee Harkin – Released