After losing to West Ham United on Saturday, Wolverhampton Wanderers announced they had fired head coach Bruno Lage.
After only eight games of the new season, the 46-year-tenure old’s at the Molineux Stadium has ended. He only joined Wolves at the start of the previous campaign.
In 15 Premier League games dating back to last season, Lage’s club has only managed one victory, and with just three goals scored this season, they have the league’s lowest attacking record of any team.
Last month against Southampton, Daniel Podence’s goal in the 45th minute gave them their first victory of the season. However, they could not capitalise on that success, suffering consecutive losses to Manchester City and West Ham.
Lage has now paid the price for his team’s inconsistent play after the defeat to the Hammers, which was sufficient to seal his doom.
Wolves have parted company with head coach Bruno Lage.
We would like to thank Bruno and his coaching team for their efforts during their time at the club and wish them the very best for the future.
— Wolves (@Wolves) October 2, 2022
Official statement
Jeff Shi, the chairman of Wolves, commented on the club’s decision to fire the former Benfica strategist, calling Bruno “an exceptional coach, a tireless and devoted manager, and a warm, wise, and honest man.”
“I have no reservations about Bruno’s aptitude and am confident he will succeed elsewhere. However, given the team’s recent form and performance, we have little choice but to take action.”
“On behalf of the whole Wolves organisation, I’d like to express our appreciation for Bruno and his coaching staff’s work throughout their tenure at the club and our best wishes for the future.”
Who will become the next coach after Bruno Lage sacking
Pedro Martins, a front-runner who, if hired, would be Wolves’ third Portuguese manager in a row. The 52-year-old, a former midfielder for Sporting Lisbon in the middle to end of the 1990s, has managed several clubs in Portugal, but his big break came with Olympiacos four years ago.
While he signed a two-year extension in January, he was fired in August, shortly after the Greek team suffered a humiliating 4-0 loss to Israeli club Maccabi Haifa in a Champions League qualifying match. He had assisted the club in winning three league championships.
Ruben Amorin is another Portuguese player with a reputation for favouring the 3-4-3 formation, much like Nuno and Lage did for most of their time as managers of Wolves. In the 2019–20 season, Sporting won their first league championship in nearly 20 years, thanks to Amorim.
Before their takeover of Wolves in 2016, Wolves’ owners Fosun courted Julen Lopetegui, but he chose to become manager of his native Spain the same day the takeover was finalised. While he only lasted four months at Real Madrid and two years there, the former goalie has repaired his reputation at Sevilla.
Sevilla won the 2019–20 Europa League under the 56-year-old, defeating Wolves along the way, and they have had three consecutive fourth-place finishes in LaLiga.
