Gary O’Neil has added to his coaching staff this summer as Wolves hire set piece coach Jack Wilson from Manchester City.
It’s been an impressive start to the summer at Wolves, who are in a contrasting position to how they were last year.
Gary O’Neil’s arrival at the club came at the end of last summer as Julen Lopetegui stepped down just days before the 2023/24 campaign commenced.
Now, the Old Gold are working through the transfer window to bolster the squad ahead of next term, as O’Neil looks to see the club finally progress after the trials of last summer.
As well as hiring four new players, the manager has also recruited to add to his coaching staff.
Wolves hire set piece coach Jack Wilson from Manchester City
On Sunday, it was announced that Wolves had welcomed set piece coach Jack Wilson from Manchester City to join O’Neil’s coaching staff.
The Scotsman arrives from his role as first-team performance analyst for set pieces at City, where he worked with Pep Guardiola.
After overseeing City win two Premier League titles, Wilson will now get to work with O’Neil at Wolves, in what will be the third Premier League club he has worked with.
Before working at City, the set piece specialist occupied the same role at Brentford, where he stayed for two years.
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It’s an interesting hire from the Midlands club, who have never had a set piece coach before, telling of where O’Neil hopes to take his current squad.
Last season, Wolves scored the fifth-most goals from set-pieces having netted 14 goals from dead-ball situations, via 90min, with Wilson coming in to better all areas of set play at the club.
The manager admitted he was “delighted” with the hire, describing his new colleague as being “one of the closest” he’s met at being as “extreme in his detail” as himself – as per Wolves’ official website.
Gary O’Neil reacts to working with Wilson in Marbella during Wolves pre-season
Already, Wilson has got to work with the first-team squad, as he joined O’Neil and his players in Marbella to undergo pre-season training.
When speaking on the hire, the Wolves boss gave a brief insight into how his players have reacted to the set piece specialist’s arrival.
“Last year, as a coaching team, you work hard on set plays, but you all have other roles and jobs you need to fulfil at the same time, but Jack’s focus can be purely on set plays.
“His purpose is to make Wolves better at set plays and he can knuckle down and get into the details, and the players have responded well.”
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It’s encouraging to hear that the squad have reacted positively to Wilson’s work early into his time at the club, with O’Neil explaining the importance of hiring a technician like the former Man City coach.
“If you stand still for a moment in football, you get left behind quickly because it’s moving on tactically.
“People are trying to gain small margins and it’s important we do what we think we need to do. It’s a fantastic one for the club to get done.”
It’s an exciting time for Wolves who have hired a set piece coach for the first time, giving O’Neil and the first team some assistance in bolstering their performance ahead of next season.