Wolverhampton Wanderers have fired head coach Gary O’Neil, the third manager to be fired in the Premier League this season.
O’Neil’s side had struggled with results and luck, spurring ownership to issue a backing plea this week following a 2-1 loss to then-relegation rivals West Ham United on Monday which saw captain Mario Lemina spark a post-match dust-up on the pitch.
Wolves followed that up with a hard-luck, late 2-1 loss to another relegation rival, Ipswich Town, on Sunday, and that ended with a furious Rayan Ait-Nouri shown a red card for a post-whistle skirmish plus Matheus Cunha reportedly fighting Ipswich’s security team and striker Liam Delap.
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The club took just one point from its first eight games this season after a summer that saw the side sell top players Max Kilman and Pedro Neto. Wolves then went four unbeaten with wins over Saints and Fulham, but have since dropped four-straight and sit 19th on the Premier League table.
Wolves statement does not mention a caretaker or a search, and relieves O’Neil’s entire staff of its duties. The Athletic is reporting that Wolves may pay the release clause in Al Shabab manager Vitor Pereira‘s contract. Pereira has won league titles with Porto (2), Olympiacos (1), and Shanghai SIPG (1).
Ex-Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was spotted at the Ipswich match and is also being mentioned as a candidate. Read more on the men up for the job, below.
Manchester United made the first managerial change of the season when the Red Devils sacked Erik ten Hag on Oct. 28, then Leicester City parted ways with Steve Cooper on November 24.
Wolves statement on firing Gary O’Neil
“Wolves have parted company with Gary O’Neil and his backroom staff.
“O’Neil arrived at Molineux just three days before the start of the 2023/24 Premier League season, taking on a significant challenge and ultimately guiding the Old Gold to a successful campaign.
“During his first season at the helm, Wolves beat Manchester City and won impressively at Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as rivals West Bromwich Albion during a journey to the FA Cup quarter-finals.
“Chairman Jeff Shi said: ‘We’re very grateful to Gary for all of his effort, dedication and hard work during his time at the club, and we wish him and his team the best of luck for the future.’”
What’s next for Wolves?
Wolves go to Leicester on Sunday, Dec. 22, then play — ready for this? — Manchester United, Tottenham, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Liverpool.
Yeah, this is going to be a long season, full of bumps whether Wolves pull out of this tailspin or not.
Several suitors have been linked with bids for Matheus Cunha, and it would feel like curtains for Wolves if the Brazilian — tied for fifth in the Premier League for goal involvements this season (11) — skipped town.
O’Neil has mentioned the young talent set for the Molineux as a great promise for the future, but the present looks tough. In the past three seasons, Wolves have sold Morgan Gibbs-White, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Neves, Nathan Collins, Neto, and Kilman. Collins and Nunes were only with Wolves for single seasons.
Who could be the next Wolves manager?
There’s no clear front-runner for the job —- Surely, David Moyes will be mentioned — but perhaps Wolves will get better simply by the blast of cold air that comes from an entire staff being removed from their posts.
Oddsmakers list excellent ex-Porto boss Sergio Conceicao as an option, but would he take the gig?
Moyes is also mentioned on several bookmakers’ sites, as are ex-Man United manager Solskjaer, who was at the Molineux for the Ipswich match, and — gasp — ex-West Brom boss Carlos Corberan.
Graham Potter and Steve Cooper are also mentioned on select sites.
