Gary O’Neil is walking on dangerously thin ice after Wolves latest punishing loss at the hands of relegation rivals Everton.
In normal circumstances, being 19th in the table, conceding a league-high 36 goals and being thrashed 4-0 by a relegation rival would spell the end of a manager’s tenure.
But in the case of Wolves boss Gary O’Neil, the 41-year-old is still somehow in a job, despite how much the club have declined during his time at Molineux.
On Wednesday, the fans were baffled that O’Neil wasn’t sacked after the Toffees handed them a pasting, having failed to score in their previous four matches.
Now, O’Neil is set to take charge against West Ham on Monday, in a match that will surely see him lose his job if the Wanderers taste defeat.
While the Old Gold are already lining up replacements, there is one reason why sacking the manager doesn’t resolve all of their problems.
Guo Guangchang, chairman and co-founder of Fosun International Limited (L) meets Matheus Cunha and Maximilian Kilman during the Premier League matc...
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Wolves are 19th in the Premier League for net spend across the last five seasons
In the current situation, there are ways O’Neil can transform Wolves’ fortunes, and that is by overhauling his defensive style to make them harder to beat.
However, Lemina’s alarming comments on the Wolves players’ mentality could suggest that his teammates are no longer playing for the manager, and that is a recipe for disaster.
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Most – if not – all of the fanbase agree that O’Neil should be sacked immediately, and while that is the correct resolution, there are other pressing issues holding them back.
In recent seasons, Wolves have operated with a self-sustainable model, meaning money to spend on new players comes from selling their assets instead of Fosun’s back pocket.
The club rarely ever spend big on new signings anymore as they’d rather source signings on the cheap, giving them a low net spend.
Alarmingly, across the last five seasons, the Wanderers are 19th in the Premier League for net spend, with the below table showing where they rank.
Premier League club’s net spend last five seasons Amount
20th – Everton £27.66m
19th – Wolves -12.74m
18th – Leicester City -£23.36m
17th – Brighton -£38.08m
16th – Southampton -£60.26m
In simple terms, Everton are the only team to profit from selling and buying players in the past five years, while Wolves have made £92m in profit during the last two seasons alone.
Wolves can rule out Graham Potter and David Moyes as O’Neil replacements
Under the current ownership, where the manager isn’t backed and Wolves operate on a limited transfer budget, it’s very difficult to attract a decent head coach.
Wolves have already held talks with Graham Potter while David Moyes is another option on their radar in case O’Neil is sacked.
But, neither Potter nor Moyes want to work under Fosun, as they’re not fans of the self-sustainable model and this stumbling block could create issues with any manager they want.
The reason why Wolves hired O’Neil after he was sacked by Bournemouth was because he was unproven and wouldn’t argue with the regime.
With the Old Gold in a desperate position in the table, hiring another inexperienced manager comes with huge risks but unless Fosun overhauls his transfer policy, they’ll be scraping the barrel for a replacement.
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