After being dismissed from his role as Wolves manager back in December, Gary O’Neil could make a return to football.
The Englishman was in charge at Molineux for an eventful 16 months, where things started encouragingly before ending disastrously.
It’s difficult to believe that O’Neil had Wolves dreaming of Europe during his first season at the club, as by the time of his departure, the Old Gold found themselves in a relegation battle.
Wolves fans lost all trust in O’Neil before his exit, and thankfully, the West Midlands club were able to replace the 42-year-old seamlessly with the hire of Vitor Pereira.
O’Neil has watched from afar as Pereira transformed Wolves during his first term as manager, and now, it’s reported that the former boss could make a return.
- READ MORE: Carl Ikeme shares the one big difference he’s noticed about Vitor Pereira and Gary O’Neil at Wolves
Gary O’Neil linked to Sheffield United manager job
Wolves supporters were concerned that O’Neil’s sacking came too late, as the Old Gold sat five points from safety at the point of his departure.
Despite driving his squad into real trouble, the Englishman still has plenty of suitors, as a report from The Sun has explained.
Last month, O’Neil was linked to the Norwich City job, and now, journalist Alan Nixon has revealed that he’s also on Sheffield United’s radar.
After missing out on promotion to the Premier League and undergoing changes at the top through US-based consortium COH Sports’ takeover, the Blades are wary of Chris Wilder’s position.
Such could open a door for O’Neil, according to The Sun, who described the former Wolves boss as being ‘lined up’ to pounce on a possible vacancy at Bramall Lane.
Though it’s unclear whether Wilder will go, due to a potentially large sum of compensation being on the line, O’Neil is said to be ready and waiting to ‘get the SOS call’.
From a Wolves point of view, the report suggests that it’s taken O’Neil a lot of time to be ready to take on a new job, as the former manager was ‘not in the market’ for work after losing his position at Molineux.
It remains to be seen whether the Blades dismiss Wilder, and if O’Neil could take charge, as the Englishman has been linked to an array of jobs in the second tier.
Championship return makes sense for O’Neil
For all of his faults during his final season at Wolves, O’Neil is not entirely to blame for the club’s downfall.
The former manager wasn’t sufficiently supported by the owners, Fosun, when it came to rebuilding his squad.
| Position | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Scored | Conceded | Points |
| 19th | 16 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 24 | 40 | 9 |
That being said, O’Neil’s record in the Premier League before leaving Wolves mid-way through the 2024/25 campaign was nothing short of a disaster.
By the time of his exit, Wolves had conceded an eye-watering 40 goals in the league, signalling that the challenge was simply too steep for him to overcome.
A job in the Championship to rebuild confidence is the appropriate next step for O’Neil, who will be eager to right his wrongs wherever his next opportunity arises.