Jeff Shi’s flight back to the Midlands will have felt an exceptionally lonely one.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers chairman made the journey to Spain, namely San Sebastian, with the desire and intent of returning to England with a new manager. Wolves had put all of their eggs in the Julen Lopetegui basket following the sacking of Bruno Lage.
The Spaniard has been admired by the club’s hierarchy ever since Fosun completed their takeover back in 2016. On that occasion, Lopetegui was all set to join and replace Kenny Jackett, only for a late offer from the national team to scupper the Black Country club's hopes. This time around, his hesitancy stemmed from wanting to spend time with his family, including, most notably, his father, Jose, in his 90s and in poor health.
Few could blame the former Sevilla boss for choosing family over football. The 56-year-old looked like a man in desperate need of a break during his final days at Sevilla. Nevertheless, Shi assumed they would be able to convince their top target that a crack in the Premier League was too good to turn down.
The situation is an unfortunate one for all parties. It is understood Lopetegui was reluctant to turn down the offer, while Wolves have been left scrambling ahead of a pivotal two-week portion of their season.
Things have only been going one way at Molineux for several months. Back in March, at half time of their clash with Leeds, Wolves were cruising 2-0 and sitting sixth in the Premier League table.
A Raul Jimenez red card, leading to a 3-2 defeat will now go down as the turning point of the Lage era and could yet be the sliding doors moments in Wolves’ recent history. In the 17 Premier League matches since that crushing loss, they have earned just two wins and now find themselves slumped in the bottom three.
The miserable end to last season meant there were question marks over Lage’s position all the way back in May. But Wolves backed their man - to the tune of more than £100million in the transfer market.
However, it quickly became apparent that regardless of the shiny new toys he was given, Lage was failing to deliver both the results and performances needed. In the final game before the international break in September, they were thumped 3-0 by Manchester City.
There is of course no shame in losing to the champions, but it was a performance symbolic of a side no longer putting up the kind of fight supporters had become used to. At that point, those in charge could have given themselves the security blanket of two full weeks to find a new coach, but instead stood their ground.
Defeat to West Ham after the break would be Lage’s final game, fan pressure seemingly feeding into a decision which previously wasn’t on the cards. The situation surrounding Lopetegui at Sevilla also looked a contributing factor with Jorge Mendes’ client on the brink of the sack himself.
Wolves were happy to bide their time for their one and only target, leaving youth coaches Steve Davis and James Collins in charge for the no-show at Chelsea last time out. Lopetegui’s U-turn means that duo could now be on the sidelines for a period of fixtures which could yet dictate their season.
It is now highly unlikely a new head coach will be in place for the visit of Nottingham Forest at the weekend, a game Wolves simply have to win. Fixtures against Crystal Palace, Leicester and Brentford quickly follow in a month where points are a necessity.
Davis is a highly respected coach, a boyhood fan who said all of the right things ahead of last weekend’s trip to Stamford Bridge. But as a manager, his most recent stint came in the National League, where he lasted 19 games with Leyton Orient.
And the options for a permanent appointment don’t leap off the page either. Pedro Martins is the current favourite, a manager most recently linked with Championship strugglers Hull City. Bo Svensson is another under consideration but would inherit a squad that would struggle to implement the kind of formation he likes to use.
It is the latest example of disjointed thinking behind-the-scenes at a club which had previously prided itself on forward planning. Shi once spoke of a five-year plan to eventually contend with the likes of Man City - one which was quickly shelved when the reality of the Premier League became clear.
A look at this summer’s transfer activity also exposed that distinct lack of foresight. Firstly when Fabio Silva, the club’s record signing at the time, was allowed to join Anderlecht on loan. That left Raul Jimenez, a player woefully out of form, as their only striker. It led to a scramble which saw them initially land Sasa Kalajdzic, before his injury led to Diego Costa.
All those moves have resulted in Wolves finding the net three times this season, while Silva - who can’t be recalled until next summer - already has eight goals.
At the other end of the pitch, three central defenders were allowed to leave - with only one coming the other way. Nathan Collins has impressed since his move from Burnley, but after his red against City, their lack of depth became crystal clear.
Conor Coady, Romain Saiss and Willy Boly would have all come in had any of them been told to stick around. Instead it was Ruben Neves alongside Max Kilman, with Toti Gomes and Yerson Mosquera not deemed ready.
That kind of muddled thinking is why the reaction to Lopetegui’s decision has been so vociferous. Yes it is unfortunate, but Fosun have proved time and time again that they leave themselves open to twists of fate, which seem to be constantly going against them.
