Max Kilman has admitted Julen Lopetegui’s exit just before the new season left the Wolves dressing room in a ‘confused’ state.
The captain appeared on talkSPORT this morning to give an interview about how things have been going at Molineux over the last few months following a chaotic end to the summer.
Wolves were expected to really struggle this season.
The club had to sell a number of big names in order to balance the books, and then Lopetegui left his post just days before the 2023/24 campaign started.
But Wanderers have been OK so far, and have taken 15 points from their first 12 games under Gary O’Neil.
There was definitely strong potential for things to go south for Wanderers, and Kilman has today admitted Lopetegui leaving when he did really put the cat amongst the pigeons…
Max Kilman admits Julen Lopetegui leaving Wolves ‘confused’ the players
Lopetegui left Wolves because he didn’t feel he could work with the financial restrictions. It was also suggested that he felt the goalposts had been moved regarding planning for transfers.
Lopetegui informed sporting director Matt Hobbs after the pre-season friendly with Celtic that he wanted to go, but agreed to manage the team while Hobbs found a successor.
On August 8 it was officially announced by the club that Lopetegui had left, with Gary O’Neil coming in a day later.
Today on talkSPORT, Kilman said of the situation: “When Lopetegui left, everyone was a bit confused, everything was a bit up in the air, no one really knew what was happening.
“Then Gary came in four days before the start of the new season, and I think since then he’s done an incredible job. How he’s set us up tactically against the top teams and how his man management has been brilliant, so credit to him.”
Wolves players deserve great credit after Lopetegui exit
Wolves could not have had a more chaotic start to the new season and so, the players deserve a lot of credit for performing how they have.
The exit of Lopetegui – who is said to be holding out for a new Premier League job – could have resulted in a broken dressing room, but the players have all embraced O’Neil and the ideas he has brought to the table.
It would have been very easy for Wolves to struggle. But even in that first game against Manchester United, which Wolves lost 1-0, there were so many positive signs and there didn’t appear to be any dejection.
The O’Neil era is still very much in its infancy, but fans are now fully on board with the 40-year-old and there is a feeling of great optimism at Molineux right now following those dark final weeks of Lopetegui’s reign.