Published on 3 Oct 2022 11:52 pm (UK Time)
Following the defeat away to West Ham, Wolverhampton Wanderers has made an abrupt decision to sack Bruno Lage after a season and two months in charge. It seemed as if one win in eight was not good enough to keep his place at Molineux.
So the question is, who will replace him?
1. Ruben Amorim
Under the ownership of Jeff Shi, which started in 2016 it seems that the club has gone for the Portuguese root in terms of appointing managers. After dismissing Paul Lambert at the end of the 2016-17 season, the next to managers have both been Portuguese, will he continue the trend by appointing another in the form of Amorim?
The 37-year-old has been in charge of Sporting CP since August 2019. Sporting qualified for the Europa Third Qualifying round. In the following season, Sporting claimed their first Primeira League title in 19 years, thanks to a 32-match unbeaten streak,
He also won two Taca Da Ligas(Portuguese League Cup) and the Supertaca Cândido de Oliveira, which is the Portuguese version of the FA Community Shield.
Amorim has won 103 of his 142 games as a manager, 85 of those have come with Sporting and the others have come with Benfica.
Wil he is able to prove himself as a Premier League manager, should he get the position?
2. Julen Lopetegui
is it time to change nationality next on the list is the 56-year-old Spaniard. Lopetegui has spent a season and a half at Sevilla. Last season he guided Sevilla to fourth place in La Liga. The Spanish side also won the Europa League for the sixth time in their history.
He also had a two-year stint with the Spanish National Team post-Euro 2016, where he oversaw their qualification to Russia 2018.
Lopetegui spent his professional playing career as a goalkeeper and played for Real Sociedad and Real Madrid Castilla.
Sevilla is usually set up in a 3-4-3 shape, when attacking, and then 4-3-3 while defending. And Lopetegui has a win percentage of 57.91 to show for it.
As Wolves were being criticized for being too passive and not attacking-minded enough, could he be the man to change fortunes for the West Midlands Club?
3. Pedro Martins
Next on the list is the Olympiacos boss. Martins joined the Greek side in May 2018. He won the Super League Title in 2020 and backed it up with consecutive Titles in 2021, and 2022.
Along win a win percentage of 64, Martins also won the Greek Football Cup with the Thrýlos in 2020 and reached the final in the following season, where they lost 1-2 to PAOK.
However, his reign at the Greek club came to an end, after a 4-0 defeat to Israeli side Maccabi Haifa in a Champions League qualifier in July.
Given the fact that half the squad is Portuguese, it may also be beneficial to have another manager who speaks the same language.
Will the owners be willing to take the chance?
4. Andre Villas-Boas
Is it time to welcome back another Portuguese to the Premier League? The 44-year-old took charge of Chelsea in 2011-12, after Carlo Ancelotti’s departure in May 2011. However, Things did not go to plan, as he was dismissed after seven months in charge, following the 1-0 defeat away to West Bromwich Albion, which saw them drop out of the top four.
he then had a misunderstanding with some of the players, who questioned his tactics, under the nose of the former owner, Roman Abramovich. He then went north of the city to Spurs, where he spent a season and a half at Tottenham Hotspur.
Spurs finished in fifth place, just a point outside the Champions League spots. However, during the 2013-14 season, Villas-Boas was sacked after a run of poor results, which included a 6-0 hammering by Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City.
Zenit St Petersburg, Shanghai SIPG, and Olympic Marseille are the next three clubs on his CV. He won the Russian League, and Russian Cup finished runner-up in the Chinese Super League and reached the semis of the Asian Champions League, and was runner-up in Ligue 1.
Will The Wonderers be willing to give him a third stint at Premier League Football?
5. Paulo Fonseca
Last on the list is another Portuguese. The 49-year-old took charge of French side Lille OSC in June, after leaving Roma in 2021. As he has already signed a two-year contract with the club, he may be a potential long-term target for Wolves.
Most of his success came with the Ukrainian side, Shakhtar Donetsk, three domestic trebles in a row. He also won the Supertaca(Portuguese Super Cup) with Porto in 2013 and reached the Europa League semi-finals with Roma in 2020.
So those are the top five candidates for the hot seat at Molineux.
Who will the owners go with?
Find out on World in Sport.
