Wolves will be in the Championship next season, but former manager Gary O’Neil is back in the Premier League as the new manager of Ipswich Town.
O’Neil has just taken the job at Portman Road, after Kieran McKenna recently left the club.
O’Neil had been at Strasbourg for six months, but has jumped at the chance to come back to the English top-flight, to manage his third club after spells with Bournemouth and Wolves.
Have Wolves made the right decision appointing Cesar Peixoto? 🤔
A NINTH managerial job since 2019 for Peixoto and first outside of Portugal…
O’Neil very nearly went back to Wolves after Vitor Pereira was sacked, but it ultimately didn’t materialise, with Rob Edwards then taking the job.
Yesterday, O’Neil was unveiled and took his first press conference – and made a remark that has got some Wolves fans talking.
Gary O’Neil hints at challenging environment at Wolves – Fosun must now change their ways
O’Neil had a great first season at Wolves.
After arriving just days before the start of the 2023/24 season after Julen Lopetegui left the club, he guided Wanderers to a 14th-placed finish in the Premier League.
It felt disappointing, because Wolves had actually been in a good position around February time, but injuries and a lack of squad depth proved very unhelpful.
O’Neil then had a horrible start to his second season, and was sacked in December 2024.
He’ll now be hoping to change a few minds at Ipswich and yesterday, he suggested it was a challenge to work under the owners at Wolves.
He said (via East Anglian Daily Times): “I learned a lot from the Wolves spell. That’s a club run very, very differently to this one. That’s why I’m here and why I was so keen to take over here.”
Some have perceived that as a criticism of Fosun, and it likely was.
O’Neil was repeatedly vocal about getting reinforcements in at Wolves, both during the January 2024 window and the summer one.
Wolves were affected by PSR though at the time, leaving little wiggle room to bring in new players.
Some have criticised O’Neil for these new remarks, after it was reported previously that he tried to get back in at Wolves after Pereira’s sacking.
But it was also reported at the time that O’Neil had decided the project wasn’t for him.
Ultimately, the ownership of Wolves has come under the spotlight regularly during the last year and Fosun’s reputation is poor with neutrals and pretty terrible with most Wolves fans.
It’s clear that they must change in a big way if they are to get this great club back into the promised land.
It has at times felt as though Wolves have not been a priority for Fosun, but hopefully the current situation will be a big wake up call, and the owners can throw back to when they first took over the club and adopt that same ambition and relentlessness in order to achieve promotion.
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