It took them five weeks and three defeats, but they finally got their man – Wolverhampton Wanderers officially appointed Julen Lopetegui as the new head coach. The Spanish tactician will succeed Bruno Lage, who was dismissed on October 1st, following a 2-0 defeat from West Ham, but will not be in the dugout until after the Arsenal game. Following Brexit, even the European Union citizens have to have a work permit, and that is a process which can take some time, just as Unai Emeri found out. Just like his colleague who took over Aston Villa recently, Lopetegui will take control of the first team and will work with them on the training ground, but the caretaker boss Steve Davis will continue to manage the games, with the first one being against Brigthon, the second one against Leeds in the League Cup and the third against Arsenal. After that, former Seville coach will be able to take the team over, but his debut will come only after the World Cup, on Boxing Day against Everton, on December 26th.A new chapter. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/aCXLr1Miec— Wolves (@Wolves) November 5, 2022 Getting the Spaniard is a major coop for an average Premier League, since Lopetegui is a top coach, with an impressive resume. Former Real and Barcelona keeper made his career as a coach, and he has Porto, Spain national team, Real and Seville in his CV. During his career, he came across two current Wolves players: captain Ruben Neves, with whom he worked in Porto and Diego Costa, who played in the Spain national squad under Lopetegui.WELCOME TO WOLVES! 🐺Julen Lopetegui has now been confirmed as Wolves manager! ✍️Thoughts Wolves fans?#wolves #wwfc pic.twitter.com/BhGBZfw66q— 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐊™️ (@Wolfpackwwfc) November 5, 2022 It proved to be a case of third time lucky for Wolves and Lopetegui, who was set to arrive at Molineux in 2016 before being offered the Spain job. After leaving Sevilla last month, the Spaniard turned down an approach by Wolves due to his father’s health but the club bided their time and eventually got their man.“Julen is a top coach, with excellent experience at an elite level of the game, and we are very pleased to have agreed a deal to bring him to Wolves. Since the very beginning, 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 chairman Jeff Shi said in a statement.PREMIER LEAGUESaturday18.00: (1.84) Leeds (3.70) Bournemouth (5.00)18.00: (1.17) Man.City (10.0) Fulham (18.0)18.00: (2.95) Nott.Forest (3.20) Brentford (2.70)18.00: (3.45) Wolverhampton (3.30) Brighton (2.35)20.30: (2.50) Everton (3.30) Leicester (3.15)Sunday15.00: (2.75) Chelsea (3.25) Arsenal (2.85)17.00: (3.50) Aston Villa (3.35) Man.Utd. (2.21)17.00: (4.10) Southampton (3.50) Newcastle (2.04)17.00: (1.99) West Ham (3.50) Crystal Palace (4.40)19.30: (3.45) Tottenham (3.50) Liverpool (2.24)***odds are subject to change
