Gary O'Neil named new Wolves coach after Lopetegui departure

LONDON: Wolverhampton Wanderers have announced Gary O'Neil, the former Bournemouth coach, as their new head coach, succeeding Julen Lopetegui after the latter parted ways with the club earlier on Tuesday due to disagreements regarding a shortage of new signings.

Returning to a managerial role after his unexpected departure from Bournemouth this summer, O'Neil has inked a three-year contract with the Wanderers. Notably, he had managed to maintain Bournemouth's Premier League status during his tenure, reports Xinhua.

Wolves' sporting director, Matt Hobbs, speaking on the club's website, praised O'Neil: "a highly motivated young coach with strong principles and very well thought of by everyone he has worked with, and we're excited to see what we can achieve together at Wolves."

Hobbs expressed confidence in the current squad, saying the team have "shown their quality during pre-season, and I believe Gary and his team will continue to coach and improve them and will have success working with this group."

Julen Lopetegui, the former Spain coach, managed Wolves for a span of nine months. He played a pivotal role in steering the club away from the relegation zone after initially joining when they were at the bottom of the table. However, his concerns regarding the lack of reinforcements, especially after the exits of Nathan Collins, Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez, Conor Coady, and Ryan Giles went unaddressed.

Addressing the departure, the club's statement elucidated, "The head coach and club acknowledged and accepted their differences of opinion on certain issues and agreed that an amicable end to his contract was the best solution for all parties."