Wolves take on West Ham United on Monday, in a game many have dubbed ‘El Sackico’.
Gary O’Neil and Julen Lopetegui go head to head for the first time and the loser of the match will likely lose his job with both under severe pressure. A draw could see both managers get sacked, and it’s not out of the question that one could go even in the event of a win.
It’s a game that will likely have a lot of eyes on it as the Monday Night Football selection.
O’Neil was bullish during his press conference the day after the defeat to Everton, and fans were stunned by his demeanour, and the fact he remained in his position.
It will be a fascinating evening, and it will be the first time Lopetegui has faced Wolves since walking out just days before the start of last season.
Lopetegui has spoken ahead of the game, dropping his verdict on O’Neil but also making what could be seen as a thinly veiled dig at the club.
Lopetegui hints at reason he walked away from Wolves, drops O’Neil verdict
Julen Lopetegui, manager of West Ham United, during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and West Ham United FC at St James' Park ...
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Many Wolves fans don’t like Lopetegui for the way he engineered his exit from the club.
There were reports towards the end of the 2022/23 season that Wolves were in a poor financial situation, which prompted Lopetegui to cast doubt on his future a number of times.
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He eventually did an interview with journalist Guillem Balague, which left a very sour taste. Many felt this was a ploy to seal his exit.
Wolves and West Ham head to head
Wolves wins – 24
Draws – 14
Losses – 35
via 11v11
Lopetegui’s interview with Balague left even some Wolves officials irked.
The reasons for Loeptegui’s exit were based around not having the right players to kick on, and the Spaniard seemingly still feels a tad bitter about that.
Speaking in his press conference, he said (as quoted by the Mirror): “Each year they sell one big player.”
But Lopetegui did have praise for his successor at Wolves O’Neil, adding: “I know he’s a very good coach. That’s the only thing I can say. They are a good team and deserve many more points.”
Lopetegui still seems irked by Wolves exit
If Lopetegui wasn’t still a little irked over his Wolves exit, he surely just wouldn’t have said this.
He seems to be keen to remind people of how things work at Wolves, with Fosun having made big player sales in each of the last few seasons.
Julen Lopetegui record at Wolves (December 2022-August 2023) Gary O’Neil record at Wolves (2023-present)
Games managed – 27 Games managed – 61
Wins – 10 Wins – 20
Draws – 5 Draws – 11
Losses – 12 Losses – 30
Win percentage – 37% Win percentage – 32.7%
One gets the feeling that Lopetegui would have stayed had it not been for the way Fosun run the club.
But having seen how poorly Lopetegui has done at West Ham despite being well backed, Wolves fans will likely be relieved he left when he did, even though his successor O’Neil is now really struggling.
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