Wolves are in talks with Julen Lopetegui again.
The club have renewed their pursuit of the Spaniard, and it looks as though there is reasonable chance of him coming.
Initially, the 56-year-old had declined Wolves’ advances due his father’s ill health.
But the picture appears to have changed, with Lopetegui instigating talks with the club.
It has been reported that the club might even announce him next week.
The development is really positive news for Wolves, who had only recently declared that Steve Davis would remain in interim charge until 2023.
It has been an awful start to the 2022/23 campaign, and fans are desperate for a turnaround at Molineux.
Lopetegui achieved great things with Sevilla, his highlight being when he delivered the Europa League in 2020.
He also enjoyed a good stint as the manager of the Spanish national team.
Guillem Balague has been on Twitter today to pass comment about Wolves’ fresh swoop for Lopetegui. In his eyes, it’d be a strong appointment.
And he pointed out that one thing is bound to happen if he comes in as expected: “The arrival of Julen Lopetegui, as @relevo mentions, brings to @Wolves a detailed manager, who has faced a very difficult personal situation but has also rested. He needs energy to mould the team to his ideas. One thing will happen – players will get better.”
Arguably, Wolves have, certainly on paper, one of the strongest squads in the Premier League outside the ‘Big Six’ clubs.
But most of the players have performed way below the levels expected of them this term.
An encouraging assessment from Guillem Balague, as Wolves close in on Julen Lopetegui
Spaniard Balague is well placed to comment on Lopetegui’s qualities as a manager.
He is a regular viewer of La Liga, and has caught Sevilla under his guidance many times.
For him to say that the Wolves players will get better under him is encouraging.
With a few exceptions, they have been really poor this season and many are in clear need of a new, experienced head coach to come in and give them a boost.
Lopetegui is supposedly a details man which is good. But then, Lage was also a details man, and it ultimately didn’t work out.
It is important he finds a way to engage the players and strike the right balance. He must be informative and creative, but also concise.