Wolves are on the hunt for a new manager after announcing the sacking of Gary O’Neil.
O’Neil was sacked after 16 months in charge of Wolves, leading the squad to an FA Cup quarter-final and a 14th-place finish in his first season.
Things dramatically changed for the Englishman, leading to the end of his tenure as the Old Gold sit down in 19th place.
The search for a new manager is underway with Vitor Pereira being Wolves’ prime candidate ahead of the clash against Leicester City.
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O'Neil during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and Ipswich Town FC at Molineux on D...
Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Gary O’Neil lost trust in Wolves owners Fosun
Wolves could unveil Pereira this week if a deal can be struck between the Old Gold and the coach’s current club, Al-Shabab.
While the ball is truly rolling to get Wolves out of the rough, a thought must be spared for O’Neil, who showed promising signs at the start of his Molineux career.
Some fans believe that O’Neil was let down by Fosun, which has emerged as being true to some extent, as per The Athletic’s understanding.
In a report that followed the Englishman’s dismissal, The Athletic detailed O’Neil’s relationship with Fosun, and how Julen Lopetegui’s tenure impacted his own journey.
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It’s noted that the ‘echo’ of Lopetegui’s broken trust with Fosun dented O’Neil’s trust in the owners, citing that the 41-year-old’s confidence in the club’s hierarchy was ‘never restored’.
Journalist Steve Madeley added that those close to O’Neil believe the former boss was ‘angry’ for the lack of support during the transfer window, with the phrase ‘broken promises’ used.
O’Neil wanted to sign a centre-back and a winger who would be ready-made for the first team, which of course never prevailed and ultimately, caused Wolves to suffer this season.
O’Neil was leading a hopeless project
For all of O’Neil’s failures at Wolves, the manager was leading a side stripped of star talent over the previous two seasons.
At the point of the Englishman taking over, Wolves had lost key figures such as Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore, with Pedro Neto and Max Kilman following.
While O’Neil had one of the worst managerial records at Wolves, the coach can only be blamed so much, considering the lack of trust and support he had from above.
Sitting in the relegation zone must be considered a wake-up call for the club’s hierarchy, who surely see that the current state of the club is unsustainable.
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