Julen Lopetegui: Wolves head coach leaves Molineux after just nine months in charge

Lopetegui grew frustrated at the club’s lack of spending, while players such as Ruben Neves left; Wolves acknowledged “differences of opinions on certain issues”; watch Manchester United vs Wolves live on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football on August 14; kick-off

Julen Lopetegui has left Wolves just three days before the start of the new Premier League season.

The Spaniard had been in charge of the club for nine months and kept them in the Premier League after taking over with the team bottom last Christmas.

Meanwhile, Wolves have also seen a number of the club’s best players leave during this summer.

A club statement announcing Lopetegui’s departure from Wolves read: “The head coach and club acknowledged and accepted their differences of opinion on certain issues and agreed that an amicable end to his contract was the best solution for all parties.”

Sky Sports News understands Gary O’Neil is the club’s No 1 choice to fill the now-vacant head coaching role.

The club interviewed a number of candidates last week and he was immediate top choice. An appointment could come as soon as tomorrow.

O’Neil has been out of work since being sacked by Bournemouth in June but has been linked with a host of jobs over the summer.

He kept the Cherries in the Premier League, racking up 39 points and finishing 15th. Despite that achievement he did not keep hold of his job with former Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola becoming Bournemouth’s new head coach.

The Wolves hierarchy believe O’Neil could do a similar job with little funds and a provie much-needed morale boost for the club.

But Wolves are without a head coach less than a week before they begin the Premier League season away at Manchester United, live on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.

Merson: Wolves playing a dangerous game – I can’t see them surviving
Sky Sports’ Paul Merson:

“A lot of the owners in the bottom half of the Premier League table are taking a chance. They’re looking at Luton and Sheffield United coming up and thinking: “We’re going to be better than them, if we’re better than one more team, why do we have to spend £100m wage and give £100,000 a week wages.”

“That’s the problem with Wolves, they’re getting rid of all these players and not getting anyone in. My only thinking is they’re saying: “we need to be better than Luton and Sheffield United”. And it’s a dangerous game.

“Looking at the current picture, I don’t think Wolves stay up. If Gary O’Neil comes in, he will do a good job. If they do bring someone in, they would need the advantage of someone managing in the Premier League as good as yesterday. So he would come in and know the teams.

“You wouldn’t want to bring someone in from abroad who would just have to get used to it. Gary would know all those players, he wouldn’t have worked with them but played against them. But someone else would ask for six months and then they’re relegated by Christmas.”