Why Wolves sacked Gary O’Neil and turned to Jorge Mendes again.
It’s been over two years since Wolverhampton Wanderers called on Jorge Mendes to get them out of difficulties.
In the 25 months since Mendes helped bring Julen Lopetegui to Molineux in a deal that ultimately saved them from another fraught Premier League season, Wolves owners Fosun have attempted to end the reliance on the super agent who has been intrinsically linked with them since their Molineux takeover in 2016.
But this weekend, when their current top-flight campaign reached a stalemate and their favored rescue options had run out, Wolves resorted to him again.
Vitor Pereira’s candidacy had been in the works for some weeks, ever since it became clear to those in authority that Gary O’Neil’s reign at Molineux was coming to an end.
Pereira was one of the candidates presented by Mendes shortly following the Fosun takeover. The Chinese company offered the post to Lopetegui, but then awarded it to Walter Zenga when the Spaniard backed away from a verbal agreement to lead Spain’s national team.
Pereira aspired to manage in the Premier League and came close to securing the Everton post in 2022, which went to Frank Lampard. Wolves, through Mendes, were aware of his availability despite his employment in the Saudi Pro League with Al Shabab.
However, he did not suit their ideal candidate to succeed O’Neil. If he had done so, the head coach, who has been ineffective for weeks, would have been fired sooner.
Instead, Wolves stuck to the model they’d been trying to implement since the departure of club legend Nuno Espirito Santo three and a half years ago, attempting to entice a manager to join the football management structure led by sporting director Matt Hobbs.
Coaches with recent Premier League success or pedigree from other prominent European leagues were quietly sounded out, most notably former Brighton and Chelsea coach Graham Potter. However, none of these high-tier managers could be persuaded.
Hobbs and Jeff Shi, Fosun’s UK agent, had to assess the dangers of sticking with O’Neil vs taking a chance on a manager who was not on their chosen list.
Shi and Hobbs realized that O’Neil was no longer a viable choice after Saturday’s demoralizing 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town. They chose Pereira as the ‘best of the rest’ and went to Mendes.
Negotiations began on Saturday evening, with Wolves showing a readiness to trigger his Al Shabab release clause, as disclosed by The Athletic. By Sunday afternoon, a deal was going quickly.
Hobbs and Shi were actively engaged, and Hobbs’ role in the much-needed squad strengthening expected in January will be critical, but Mendes’ participation ultimately allowed the sale to be completed so fast.
Mendes has maintained his position as Shi’s valued confidante, despite Wolves’ attempts to curb his influence. His success in putting another of his clients in the manager’s office at Molineux will undoubtedly boost his power, at least in the near term, and this new move feels like a partial return to ‘Fosun: Phase One’.
To tell this story, The Athletic spoke to multiple people familiar with the situation. Many are speaking anonymously to protect relationships.
On Sunday morning, O’Neil, who had gone to his family home in Kent for a brief visit following the Ipswich defeat, received a phone call from Hobbs informing him of the Wolves’ decision.
It wouldn’t have come as a surprise given that his departure had seemed inevitable for much of the season. Even at the height of his Wolves triumph, flaws began to surface.
In February 2024, O’Neil’s Wolves won the Premier League at Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, completing the double over both ‘Big Six’ clubs. They also faced Manchester United but lost 4-3 in stoppage time, and defeated Brighton to advance to the FA Cup quarterfinals.
After defeating Sheffield United, the club experienced a period of harmony among players, management, club, and supporters, marking the end of their most successful period since the early 1980s. Some fans hoped to compete for a European spot.
The seeds of deterioration had already been sowed.
O’Neil’s dissatisfaction with life at Molineux stemmed from his inability to add a striker to his team during the January transfer window. Wolves refused to sanction any of the deals on the table, leaving the former Bournemouth manager disappointed.
Neither he nor the Wolves leadership could have imagined the extent of the injury problem that robbed him of his first-choice front line for much of the last third of the campaign, with Pedro Neto, Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha all incapacitated for many weeks.
But O’Neil thought his cautions that Wolves were jeopardizing their near future by not hiring understudies had gone unheeded. The team suffered a quarter-final defeat to Coventry, led by Nathan Fraser, and dropped to the bottom half of the Premier League standings with only two victories in their last 12 games.
In a disturbing echo of the breakdown in trust between Wolves and O’Neil’s predecessor, Lopetegui, O’Neil’s faith in the owners’ capacity and desire to support him was never recovered.
According to sources, O’Neil was dissatisfied with the transfer window, citing unfulfilled promises over his desire for a centre-back and winger to replace Maximilian Kilman and Pedro Neto.
Striker Jorgen Strand Larsen is the only summer acquisition who has established himself in the club. Other expensive purchases were young players aimed at providing value in the future for Wolves.
After the window closed, O’Neil’s rage was believed to have lessened as he decided to make the most of the team he had.
However, a combination of difficult early fixtures — the toughest start of any club in the league according to Opta’s Power Rankings — and squad deficiencies meant Wolves’ season spiraled out of control, aided by O’Neil’s decision to change their playing style based on signings he expected but never arrived.
In the end, he departed Wolves with the goodwill intact. His connection with Hobbs remained particularly strong, with O’Neil believing that Hobbs had upheld his half of the bargain by arranging transactions for first-team players that were eventually not approved.
O’Neil’s senior players remained supportive, but their lack of discipline in recent weeks, such as Jose Sa venturing into the crowd during the defeat to Bournemouth, Mario Lemina’s meltdown at West Ham, and the ugly scenes after the weekend defeat to Ipswich involving Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri, suggested that O’Neil had lost authority.
That realization, along with the continuous terrible outcomes, forced Wolves to make a change. Even top individuals at Wolves admitted that O’Neil was mostly a victim of circumstance.
Last season, he took over a squad devastated by Lopetegui’s departure on the eve of the season and led Wolves out of relegation jeopardy while winning memorable wins and big-name scalps, earning him considerable respect in the Molineux hierarchy.
And the club’s decision-makers were well aware that those significant injuries at the close of last season, combined with a disastrous sequence of games at the start of this one, had shattered the momentum he had established.
However, there were other decisions that disturbed the young, inexperienced head coach.
He was heavily involved in the summer’s appointment of Jack Wilson as Wolves’ first set-piece coach, only to reverse his decision and fire Wilson three months later, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Wolves’ inability to defend set pieces has been an ongoing issue, both with and without Wilson.
That drama called into doubt O’Neil’s judgment, as did Lemina’s recent removal as captain following his post-match breakdown at West Ham, after O’Neil had picked the Gabon international to replace Kilman as captain in the summer. After West Ham’s 2-1 defeat, Lemina, 31, fought with Jarrod Bowen, Nelson Semedo, and Toti, and shoved first-team coach Shaun Derry.
The change in tactics and shape, including a switch to a back four, at the start of the season was also a risk O’Neil did not need to take, and it drew criticism given that the previous use of three central defenders and a counter-attacking style had worked well last season until injuries struck, with the gap between the club’s expected goals for and against trending in the wrong direction this year.
With O’Neil increasingly unable to address the urgent defensive and man-management issues, the Wolves administration decided that a figure with more experience and gravitas was required.
It’s unclear how far Mendes’ comeback will go. Two years earlier, Lopetegui was assisted by the agency, who led a January buying binge of about £100 million on acquisitions like Cunha, Lemina, Craig Dawson, Joao Gomes, and Pablo Sarabia.
There are several reasons why Wolves will be hesitant to replicate that maneuver.
That unannounced excessive expenditure contributed significantly to the profit and sustainability rules (PRS) difficulties, which resulted in a virtual fire sale of talent six months later to escape potential consequences.
Wolves have spent time and effort in the past and subsequently to transition to a more traditional recruitment approach, with Hobbs in charge of finding lower-cost newcomers who can improve and earn a resale profit.
And Fosun intends for Wolves’ football operations to be self-sufficient.
However, there is also an understanding that the summer window of 2024 did not enhance the first XI, and that first-team-ready reinforcements are required in January to give Pereira a fighting chance of reversing their fortunes. Sales indicate no PSR issues, but cash must be created by the club.
Mendes might be involved as Wolves seek for reinforcements, particularly at the heart of defense, with a centre-back a top priority in January.
Despite producing great players like Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez, Joao Moutinho, and Rui Patricio, Mendes’ relationship with Wolves has been contentious in the past.
In the summer of 2022, Wolves’ signings of Matheus Nunes and Gonzalo Guedes were viewed as costly missteps. However, Wolves made a profit on Nunes when he joined Manchester City a year later. Two years ago, there was annoyance when Mendes was seen urging Gomes to choose Lyon, another club with whom he has close links.
And his relationship with Lopetegui is thought to have deteriorated during the Spaniard’s time at Wolves, as the two disagreed on Mendes’ recruiting proposals.
The choice of O’Neil to succeed Lopetegui was the first under Fosun’s reign in which Mendes was completely excluded.
Despite Hobbs’ recent rise to status and influence, his ties to Shi and the owning group remain strong.
Andre, a Brazilian midfielder with a South American agency connected to Mendes, was a surprise addition in the summer, indicating Mendes’ continued influence, especially as O’Neil did not prioritize bolstering that portion of the squad.
And in their hour of need, Wolves have resorted once more to Shi’s most famous footballing partner. With a vital few months ahead, Mendes feels like a key player at Molineux once again.
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