Julen Lopetegui leaves Wolves with Gary O'Neil expected to take over

Wolverhampton Wanderers have parted company with Julen Lopetegui less than a week before the start of the 2023-24 Premier League season, with former Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil expected to take the reins in the coming days.

Julen Lopetegui [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Wolverhampton Wanderers have parted company with Julen Lopetegui less than a week before the start of the 2023-24 Premier League season, with former Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil expected to take the reins in the coming days.

Lopetegui’s exit after a productive nine months in charge comes due to differences of opinion between the club and manager on how the team should be managed. He joined the club on a three-year deal last November, but a financial settlement has been agreed on to prematurely terminate that contract.

“Lopetegui joined Wolves in November and successfully guided the club to Premier League safety, however, 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,” Wolves said in a statement.

The statement went on to acknowledge that there were significant differences of opinion that led to the decision.

“While our ambition had been to move into the new season together, it is public knowledge that there were differences of opinion on some key topics, and it was agreed by all parties that it would be best to part ways ahead of the new campaign,” Wolves Sporting Director Matt Hobbs said in the statement.

“After a successful pre-season, full of hard work and good performances, Julen and his staff leave the squad in great shape ahead of the season opener next week, which will give his successor the best possible platform for success.”

Although O’Neil, who, like Lopetegui, spent most of last season pulling a team out of the relegation zone — in his case Bournemouth — is reportedly poised to immediately take over, the departure of the Spanish manager this close to the start of the season will come as a blow to the club and players.

Gary O'Neil [AP/YONHAP]

Korean midfielder Hwang Hee-chan flourished under Lopetegui, recovering from a long slump and rejoining the lineup after being effectively sidelined by his predecessor Bruno Lage.

Hwang described Lopetegui as a very detail-oriented manager who gave very clear direction, something that Hwang clearly benefited from.

“He speaks with us a lot about how each player should play depending on whether he's on the right or left, and how we should position ourselves both defensively and offensively,” Hwang said back in January. “Tactically, it's comfortable for us because we know exactly how we should be playing.”

After an up-and-down start to his Premier League career, Hwang will need to adapt quickly to O’Neil’s approach. The former Bournemouth manager did appear to favor a more offensive playing style last season, pushing up the pitch with more strength in the midfield than defense.

That could favor Hwang, who is used to playing out of the middle and up the side with both Wolves and the Korean national team.

Assuming O’Neil is appointed, he will have very little time to adapt to the new role. Wolves will start their Premier League season on Sunday with a tough opening fixture against Manchester United on the road at Old Trafford.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]