““We coaches always sleep with one eye open in the summer,” Julen Lopetegui said two weeks ago, but he had been restless for a while. A manager first courted by Wolves seven years ago and secured at the third time of trying is history after nine months. Lopetegui leaving six days before Wolves begin their Premier League season at Manchester United hardly feels conducive to avoiding another slog against relegation. And to think Wolves thought they had allayed his concerns and that he would embark on his first full campaign in charge.
But are we really surprised? The grumbles of discontent have rumbled since Lopetegui suggested the goalposts had moved, claiming he learned the severity of Wolves’ financial constraints only at the end of last season. The noncommittals then were telling. There have since been handpicked interviews during which Lopetegui stressed the need for a deeper squad after a series of high‑profile departures, many of whom, it should be pointed out, rarely featured under him last season.
