Wolverhampton Wanderers fans will already be contemplating the return of Championship football to Molineux next season.
Indeed, the miserable Old Gold are currently sat at the bottom of the Premier League pile on a pitiful two points, which culminated in the dismissal of Vitor Pereira, who had managed to turn around Wolves' fortunes when coming in mid-way through the 2024/25 season.
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Vitor Pereira
Unfortunately, in the here and now, Pereira couldn't arrest the worrying slide, with the West Midlands outfit now on the hunt for a successor who can somehow lift the downbeat side off the very foot of the top-flight.
Gary O'Neil has already turned down the opportunity to come back to his old stomping ground as a dramatic saviour, with Wolves now having to look at alternative targets.
Wolves' ongoing hunt for a new manager
There have been several different names linked to the Molineux vacancy since Pereira was put out of his misery after a 3-0 defeat away at Fulham.
Rob Edwards has consistently been tipped to leave promotion-chasing Middlesbrough behind in the Championship to return to the side he lined up for as a player. At the same time, Wolves have also utilised their well-known Portuguese connections, with ex-Benfica boss Rui Vitoria allegedly on their radar.
Sky Sports News' Lyall Thomas has fired back, though, to state that either Edwards or Vitoria replacing Pereira is considered "unlikely", with Erik ten Hag also a shout that has been dismissed, as Wolves head into their next league encounter with youth team duo James Collins and Richard Walker at the helm.
A decision will soon have to be made, as Wolves fight a losing battle against the drop, with one name that Thomas hasn't dismissed, still perhaps in the running as a clear upgrade on the Boro boss.
Why Wolves target would be an Edwards upgrade
Before delving deeper into why this alternative target would be an upgrade on Edwards, it does have to be said that the 42-year-old did a commendable job the last time he was in the top-flight with Luton Town.
Rob Edwards-Luton Town
Indeed, Edwards did make the Hatters a "difficult" team to beat, as were the words of Arsenal's Mikel Arteta.
But, away from initial admiration, the Championship promotion-winning manager did still take Luton down, with 47 defeats from 103 games in charge of the Kenilworth Road outfit, not exactly music to the ears of those at Molineux who crave a transformative clean slate.
bruno-lage-wolves
This is where the reappointment of Bruno Lage could be a masterstroke, with reports from Portugal - via Sport Witness - indicating that the 49-year-old is weighing up the possibility of a return to the Black Country, having been on Wolves' manager shortlist.
Wolves have arguably been on a decline since the one-time Liga Portugal champion left the building, with Lage's tenth-place finish during the 2021/22 season yet to be bettered by the litany of managers that have come into the Old Gold dug-out since.
Wolves' season finishes - with Lage/without Lage
Season
2024/25
2023/24
2022/23
2021/22
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Lage also turned the Old Gold into a well-oiled machine when he was at the helm, which they are in dire need of right now, as only 43 goals were leaked across 38 league contests.
His fellow compatriot and ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal would even label his one full campaign in the dug-out as "the best success story in the Premier League", with Lage even taking the West Midlands titans to the brink of a Champions League spot at one point, having masterminded a 1-0 away win at Manchester United in early 2022.
19 Premier League wins would come his way, subsequently, with Edwards stuck on just six, in stark contrast, from his time at Kenilworth Road.
With Lage favouring a 4-3-3 set-up, too, much like Pereira, the hope will be that Setubal-born boss can get the ball rolling again immediately on his return, having been described as "one of the best men I have met in football" by ex-Wolves skipper Conor Coady.
bruno-lage-wolves-ruben-neves
After all, he fared well last time out when the pressure was on him, having had to replace a modern Molineux great in Nuno Espirito Santo, as the "excellent" head coach - as he was once labelled by rival Premier League manager Thomas Frank - now tries to steer the ship back on course again.