Wolverhampton Wanderers look like they’ve finally got their man. Six years after he was initially set to join as manager, Julen Lopetegui is now on the brink of becoming their new boss. It’s been quite the journey in six years for the Spanish boss, while Wolves have also grown exponentially since then.
"Certainly if the Spanish job hadn't come up, I know I would now be coach at Wolverhampton,” Lopetegui told Guillem Balague in 2016. “I was very keen to come to England. There were so many positives. Wolves are a great, historic club, with fantastic fans, with an infrastructure to become [one] of the great clubs."
Now the pair are finally set to be united, this time on a semi-permanent basis. But Lopetegui’s arrival comes at a vital time for Wolves. The club, having invested big money, stormed the Championship and then finished seventh in the top flight for two consecutive seasons, dropped to 13th before parting ways with Nuno Espirito Santo.
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Bruno Lage followed the Portuguese trend as they increased their recruitment and they improved to 10th before his sacking this season. Under Jeff Shi, there’s been a clear link between the club and that Portuguese spine, thanks mainly to super-agent Jorge Mendes.
He has been vital in the club’s recruitment in recent years and that project shows no sign of ending. This perhaps was a chance to realign that vision. Wolves could have gone away from the expensive project that now sees them sit in the Premier League relegation zone. Instead they have doubled down on another big-name manager.
Not to sound like Graeme Souness, but Wolves have undoubtedly moved away from the British coaches and old-school English philosophy of old. Not since Terry Connor in 2012 have the first team had an English manager, while it’s now been six years since the last British boss Kenny Jackett left the club.
In Bruno Lage’s final game, eight of the starting XI were Portuguese, and Max Kilman was the only British representative in the whole squad. Having strong links with a particular agent and that part of the world has clearly had a major influence on taking Wolves to the Premier League, but when has the whole thing gone too far?
It’s worth remembering that Lopetegui isn’t Portuguese and perhaps his arrival could spark a slight change in the restrictive transfer policy. But his CV still proves that Wolves are trying to punch way above their weight. Instead of joining Wolves in 2016, he got the Spain job and didn’t lose any of his 20 games in charge. But ahead of the 2018 World Cup, it all went pear-shaped.
He had agreed a deal to take over at Real Madrid after the tournament and, Florentino Perez being Florentino Perez, the Blancos president decided to announce it two days before the World Cup began. The Spanish football federation were furious at the fact they had been blindsided and sacked their coach just two days before their opening match. Spain went out on penalties to Russia in the last 16, and Lopetegui lasted just 14 games at Los Blancos, losing six times in a nightmare start. However, he was able to rebuild his reputation with Sevilla as he won the Europa League and led them to back-to-back top-four finishes.
It ended on a sour note, and he was sacked with the club hovering just outside the relegation zone, but Wolves will be hoping they get the guy who managed Sevilla to glory, rather than the one that flopped at Real Madrid.
His appointment is one that should excite Wolves fans. But it’s another step away from the local connection that is so important to football fans. The Premier League is now a global product, but it's important they don’t lose sight of who they represent.
Wolves aren’t Portugal’s B-team. They aren’t Mendes’ experiment. They are the club of Steve Bull, Billy Wright and Stan Cullis. They are black and gold - not red and green. They are Molineux, FA Cup winners and three-time champions of England. The owners mustn’t lose sight of that in their bid to compete with the elite.
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