Wolverhampton Wanderers announced on Wednesday that Gary O’Neil has been named their new head coach, with a three-year contract.
Days before the new Premier League season began, on Tuesday, Julen Lopetegui resigned from his position as manager of Bournemouth. Wolves moved quickly to replace him.
Less than a week before their opening league match of 2023–24, Wolves and Lopetegui split ways on Monday, with the Spaniard’s nine months in charge at Molineux reportedly being caused by disagreements over transfer policies.
After being unexpectedly fired, 40-year-old O’Neil—a rising star among English football managers—was instantly set as the favorite to take over at the West Midlands club.
despite leading the Cherries to Premier League safety the previous season, by Bournemouth in June.
A strong motivator
Gary is a wonderful addition to the Wolves team, sporting director Matt Hobbs stated in a statement.”Everyone he has worked with regards him as a highly-motivated young coach with strong principles, and we are eager to see what we can accomplish together at Wolves.”
“Our players have proven themselves in the preseason, and I have faith that Gary and his staff will succeed in developing them further and coaching this group.”
After taking over for Scott Parker as manager of Bournemouth at the end of August of last year, O’Neil—who rose to prominence in football as a player with Portsmouth—led the team to a
a Premier League finish in fifteenth place.
After a 9-0 crushing against Liverpool, O’Neil initially replaced Parker as interim manager. In November, he was named permanent.
Even though he managed 34 top-flight games and collected 36 points, Bournemouth fired him shortly after, appointing former Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola as their new manager.
After taking over for Bruno Lage in November, the former manager of Real Madrid and Spain, Lopetegui joined Wolves at the bottom of the Premier League and helped them finish 13th.
But the 56-year-old was said to be frustrated by their approach in the transfer market, with a number of first-team players departing this summer and few replacements found.
Wolves have sold the likes of Ruben Neves, Conor Coady, Nathan Collins and Raul Jimenez and have only brought in two players on free transfers — Matt Doherty and Tom King.
Tuesday’s statement acknowledged the rift between Lopetegui and Wolves’s hierarchy by saying: “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.”
