Wolves convinced by O’Neil’s attention to detail after Lopetegui exit

Twenty minutes was all Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs needed to decide Gary O’Neil was the man for him.

O’Neil was working his way through a detailed presentation featuring numerous examples from his time at Bournemouth, highlighting the analysis he and his team would conduct on the Cherries’ opponents during the campaign, and how he would tweak his style accordingly.

Add to that O’Neil’s calm, confident manner and his clear messages at interview last Thursday, and Hobbs and the panel he led were sold. 

Chairman Jeff Shi was not part of the process but readily accepted Hobbs’ recommendation. On Wednesday O’Neil signed a three-year deal to replace Julen Lopetegui, who departed on Tuesday after only 20 matches in charge. He will be Wolves’ youngest manager this century.

‘His attention to detail, thoroughness and history of developing players impressed us – he’s worked with both young and experienced players and understands the process,’ said Hobbs. 

Gary O’Neil impressed Wolves chiefs with his attention to detail and meticulous planning 

Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs led the panel that decided on the ex-Cherries boss

Julen Loptegui departed Wolves on Tuesday night after discussions with the club

‘The detail he showed with his tactical work, including against us last year, gives you confidence about the work he and his staff put into every game.

‘Part of our decision was about whether Gary fits to our squad because we don’t want to rebuild a squad. We want to keep our principles going forward now, so we can have a long-term strategy.’

The 40-year-old had been prepared to hold out for another Premier League job after being let go by Bournemouth in June, despite leading the club to a comfortable survival.

He was hugely admired by players and staff alike at Bournemouth, creating a unity behind the scenes that helped take them to safety. 

O’Neil impressed on the training ground with his attention to detail and tactical plans, meaning he was able quickly to convince players they were in good hands.

O’Neil ticks several boxes for Wolves. The club has not had a permanent British boss since Portugal’s Nuno Espirito Santo replaced Paul Lambert in 2017 and with Hobbs running the football side of the business, they felt a coach from these shores would adapt most quickly to their plans.

Nuno, Bruno Lage and Lopetegui all arrived with large support teams, which left many well-regarded members of staff already at Wolves feeling marginalised and demotivated.

O’Neil was moved on at Bournemouth despite a strong season in charge of the Cherries 

The likes of Dominic Solanke (centre) flourished under O’Neil at Bournemouth last season 

O’Neil is keen to work within the existing framework at Wolves’ Compton training base, rather than create his own alongside it as his predecessors have. That stance will be welcomed across the club. 

At Bournemouth, he was able to bring the best from a core of British players while working effectively with overseas stars like Marcos Senesi and Dango Ouattara. The same will be required with Wolves’ multinational squad.

O’Neil will look closely at Wolves’ academy, which has a good record of producing players for the professional game and seek to integrate the best youngsters into his squad. 

Wolves sought numerous references from players and staff who knew O’Neil and the response was overwhelmingly positive.

He is thrilled to work for a club he considers one of the biggest outside English football’s elite and is confident he can build a rapport with supporters, many of whom had fallen in love with Lopetegui and will be sad to see him depart.

Lopetegui gave his heart and soul to Wolves yet having coached Spain, Real Madrid and Sevilla, there was always a feeling that he had lowered his sights when moving to Molineux. 

O’Neil is the opposite and sees this as his opportunity to make a long-term impression as a Premier League boss.

Lopetegui first indicated that he wanted to leave Wolves following the pre-season friendly at Celtic on July 29 and O’Neil soon emerged as the best candidate. 

There are more basic points in his favour, too: O’Neil was out of work, so Wolves do not have to pay compensation, and will also be considerably less expensive than Lopetegui, who was the highest-paid manager in the club’s history.

Wolves chiefs watched closely as the seasons of Leicester and Tottenham were damaged by having managers – Brendan Rodgers at Leicester and Antonio Conte at Spurs – who were clearly unhappy with their lot. Leicester were relegated and Spurs missed out on European football.

Wolves have said goodbye to several key players this summer including Ruben Neves (above)

They were keen to avoid a similar situation with Lopetegui and while they accept the early weeks may be difficult as the players learn on the job under a new boss, they are convinced it will pay off in the long term.

O’Neil will take his first training session at Compton on Thursday and will address the media for the first time on Friday. 

Recruitment will be a challenge as beyond loans and free transfers there will be little scope for O’Neil to strengthen. Given Wolves’ financial position there may be others sold.

Now it is all about getting to work and O’Neil is certainly going in at the deep end. You suspect the meeting with Manchester United at Old Trafford at Monday will tell him exactly what he needs to know about his new charges.