Wolves’ lengthy managerial hunt concludes as Julen Lopetegui appointed successor to Bruno Lage at Molineux; Lopetegui was sacked by Sevilla in October; Wolves approached Lopetegui last month but the Spaniard rejected the move due to personal reasons.
Lopetegui succeeds Bruno Lage, who was sacked on October 2 after winning just one of his final 15 games in charge.
He will begin work on November 14 when he officially takes charge at Molineux after Wolves’ final Premier League game before the World Cup against Arsenal.
Steve Davis remains in interim charge ahead of Saturday’s home match against Brighton.
“It’s a top appointment and someone who we’ve been trying to get in for a while now. I’m just pleased that they’ve managed to get the person they wanted a while ago.
“He’ll arrive here at the end of next week. He’s a great appointment and he’s somebody the club needs going forward.”
Davis said.
“Julen is a top coach, with excellent experience at an elite level of the game, and we are very pleased to have agreed a deal to bring him to Wolves.
“Since the very beginning, Julen has been our number one choice to manage Wolves, and we look forward to welcoming him and his team when they join us in the coming weeks.”
Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said.
Lopetegui was sacked by Sevilla at the start of October, two years after guiding the La Liga club to a record sixth Europa League crown in 2020.
Wolves approached Lopetegui last month but the 56-year-old Spaniard rejected the move due to personal reasons, forcing the Midlands club to explore alternative targets.
Queens Park Rangers boss Michael Beale appeared on the verge of filling the vacant manager’s position at Molineux until his last-minute commitment to the Championship club sent Wolves back to the drawing board.
Caretaker boss Davis received public backing from chairman Jeff Shi to oversee first-team matters through to the end of the year but, with Wolves languishing in the Premier League relegation zone, efforts to sign Lopetegui were revived.
Davis, Wolves’ under-18s coach, took temporary charge of the first team after Lage was sacked at the start of last month, assisted by James Collins and goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts.
Wolves remain in the bottom three after winning only one game since Lage left, against Nottingham Forest, with their only other point under Davis coming in last week’s 1-1 draw at Brentford.
Source: Sky Sports
