Premier League club place former Wolves manager Gary O’Neil on their shortlist

Gary O’Neil was sacked by Wolves in December 2024 after the Old Gold were left in 19th place in the Premier League, and now O’Neil could be set for a return to England’s top division.

O’Neil has been without a job since being dismissed at Wolves, and O’Neil admits he ‘did not earn the right’ to stay at Molineux.

The 42-year-old was interviewed for the Leicester City job at the start of the summer, but the Foxes opted to head in a different direction appointing Martí Cifuentes instead.

Now, he could be in line to come back to the Premier League, as according to reports, a Premier League club has added Gary O’Neil to their managerial shortlist.

West Ham add Gary O’Neil to managerial shortlist

Graham Potter is under immense pressure at West Ham due to the rocky start his side has had.

The Hammers have been poor defensively, conceding 11 goals in just four games. Their only win came against another former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo amid unrest at Nottingham Forest.

The future of Potter is still unclear, but it does seem that the West Ham chiefs are starting to prepare for life beyond him should their terrible form persist.

And should Potter continue to struggle, then Gary O’Neil has been tipped to take over.

According to journalist Miguel Delaney, the former Wolves manager has been added to West Ham’s shortlist.

This would be O’Neil’s first role in football since being sacked by Wolves, and with him being a free agent this appeals to West Ham.

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This means they would not need to pay to acquire his services, and his past history could make it a shrewd appointment.

Gary O’Neil knows how to navigate tough circumstances

Gary O’Neil’s final months as Wolves manager did not do him justice, but he did face a tough situation.

The Englishman boasts one of the worst Premier League win percentages of any modern Wolves manager at 31%. However, he did show he can be a quality manager.

His first season at Wolves was certainly impressive, but in the second, he had lost multiple key players.

Pedro Neto was sold to Chelsea which left O’Neil frustrated, and Max Kilman was bought by West Ham.

Neto and Kilman were not sufficiently replaced, with Fosun signing Andre, Rodrigo Gomes, and Jorgen Strand Larsen on loan.

Carlos Forbs was brought in on loan too. Although, the winger was still raw, and was not ready to fill the Pedro Neto void.

At Bournemouth, there was a mixed reaction from the football world when he was sacked. Many were saying it was an unfair decision based on the work he had done.

West Ham are struggling, but they have a squad filled with quality. O’Neil, based on his history, could no doubt do a great job for the Irons.