Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui is set to become Wolves boss Julien Lopetegui in the coming days, according to reports coming out of Portugal.
Former boss Bruno Lage was shown the exit door at Molineux following another poor performance against West Ham, falling to their sixth defeat of the season and leaving them in the relegation zone with just six points to their name.
More worrying, though, is the lack of goals. Though traditionally a low scoring side in recent seasons, they have managed just three so far this season, the joint lowest in the English Football League (Preston North End have also only scored three). That and the poor performances forced the Wolves board to act.
“He [Lage] and his staff have been a pleasure to work with throughout their time at Wolves, so it is with much sadness that we have had to make what has been a difficult decision”, Wolves Chairman Jeff Shi wrote.
“I honestly have no doubts about Bruno’s ability, and I’m sure he will succeed elsewhere, however the team’s form and performances over the last few months mean that we have no choice but to act.
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Bruno Lage on the pitch ahead of the Premier League match at Turf Moor, Burnley. Picture date: Sunday April 24, 2022. 2J5K52P Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Bruno Lage on the pitch ahead of the Premier League match at Turf Moor, Burnley. Picture date: Sunday April 24, 2022.
As per Portuguese journalist Pedro Almeida, however, Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui is the man that has been selected to replace Lage at Molineux, which would make sense given both parties are close with super agent Jorge Mendes.
EXCL 🚨 Julen #Lopetegui has an pre-agreement with Wolverhampton to replace Bruno #Lage. 🐺🇪🇸 #Wolves
— Pedro Almeida (@pedrogva6) October 4, 2022
Whether he can inspire an upturn in form from a threadbare front-line is another matter, but he certainly has the experience to get Wolves out of a relegation battle and back into midtable and beyond.