Premier League fighters Wolves have finally found their man, appointing former Sevilla and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui as the ‘number one choice’ as their new manager on Saturday.
“The highly experienced Spaniard, who has worked in coaching and management for almost 20 years, will start his first Premier League role on Monday November 14,” a club statement confirmed.
The 56-year-old replaces Bruno Lage who was sacked last month after a one-in-15 Premier League winning streak dating back to last season.
Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said: “Julen is a top manager, with great experience at an elite level of the game, and we are very happy to have reached an agreement to bring him to Wolves.
“From the very start, Julen has been our number one choice to manage Wolves, and we look forward to welcoming him and his team when they join us in the coming weeks.”
Wolves, languishing at the foot of the table, are currently in the care of caretaker manager Steve Davis.
He was expected to remain in temporary charge until the new year after QPR manager Michael Beale rejected the possibility of a move to Molineux.
Lopetegui had also initially snubbed an approach for personal reasons, before changing his mind.
He was national coach for two years but was abruptly fired on the eve of the 2018 World Cup for agreeing to take over at Real Madrid after Spain’s interest in the tournament ended.
Real Madrid’s job didn’t go down well as he only lasted 138 days in the job, with the end coming after a 5-1 Clasico loss to Barcelona.
Lopetegui was most recently sacked after a three-year spell with Sevilla in October, with the ax falling after a 4-1 home thrashing by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
Former goalkeeper – Lopetegui played for Real Madrid and Barcelona and won a cap for Spain – he arrived in June 2019 and led the Andalusian side to a record sixth Europa League title in his debut season .
Wolves will be hoping he can bring some of that magic to Molineux, with the Chinese-owned Midlands club hosting Brighton later on Saturday with a meager record of two wins from 13 outings this term, leaving them with 10 points, one ahead Nottingham. Forest.
Three familiar faces await him at his new workplace.
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