Julen Lopetegui Leaves Wolves Ahead of Premier League Start
With the Premier League set to get underway this weekend, one club have already parted ways with their manager ahead of the opening set of fixtures. After nine months in charge, Julen Lopetegui has left Wolves following what is said to have been “differences of opinion” with those at the top of the club.
The Spaniard replaced Bruno Lage at Molineux last November and guided the club to Premier League safety after the side were rooted to the bottom of the table at Christmas. A statement on Wolves‘ official website read that the manager and club had “accepted their differences of opinion on certain issues” and that his stay was brought to an “amicable end” by those involved.
Ex-Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil is expected to take over from Lopetegui having made an equally surprising departure from the Cherries this summer after steering his team to 15th in the Premier League.
Thankfully, Liverpool might just about escape the dreaded ‘new manager bounce’ on this occasion, with the Reds not scheduled to travel to Wolves until September 16 in the weekend’s early kickoff following the international break. In what has become an almost annual occurrence, Liverpool will host Wolves on the final day of the season having agonisingly missed out on the league title by a point during that fixture in 2018/19 and 2021/22.
Despite only being at the club for nine months, Lopetegui faced Liverpool four times in less than two months between January and March. Those meetings included a 3-0 thrashing of the Reds in the league at Molineux, along with a 2-2 draw in the FA Cup third round before losing 1-0 at home in the replay. O’Neil also had success against Liverpool last season, guiding Bournemouth to a 1-0 win at the Vitality in March in his one and only meeting with the Reds as a manager.
Spontaneous managerial changes are certainly nothing new in the Premier League, but the timing of Lopetegui’s departure will certainly raise eyebrows given that the new season is a matter of days away. Wolves do have more time than most before their campaign gets underway, with a trip to Old Trafford for their season opener not coming until Monday night.
Lopetegui’s Time at Wolves
When Julen Lopetegui took over at Wolves last November, the club were rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table and looked destined for relegation. However, under his stewardship, Wolves managed to turn their fortunes around and eventually finished in 16th place.
Lopetegui’s time at Wolves was not without its ups and downs, however. While he was able to guide them to safety, he also oversaw a 3-0 loss to Liverpool at Molineux and a 1-0 defeat in the FA Cup replay against the same team.
Despite these setbacks, Lopetegui was able to bring stability to Wolves and will be remembered fondly by fans for his contribution to the club.
Gary O’Neil Takes Over
Following Lopetegui’s departure, Gary O’Neil is expected to take over as manager of Wolves. O’Neil is no stranger to Premier League football, having managed Bournemouth last season and guiding them to a 15th place finish.
O’Neil also has experience of facing Liverpool, having led Bournemouth to a 1-0 win against them in March. He will be hoping for similar success when he takes charge of Wolves and faces Liverpool again later this season.
Conclusion
The departure of Julen Lopetegui from Wolves ahead of the new Premier League season has come as a surprise to many. However, with Gary O’Neil taking over as manager, Wolves fans can look forward to a new era at the club and hopefully more success against Liverpool in the future.