Wolves chairman Jeff Shi: Julen Lopetegui's appointment is destiny

The 56-year-old becomes Wolves’ first Spanish boss and takes charge on Monday, ending a six-week tenure for interim Steve Davis, following Bruno Lage’s sacking.

Lopetegui arrived at Compton yesterday morning and will be unveiled ahead of tonight’s clash with Arsenal – as Wolves finally landed their man at the third time of asking.

The former Spain and Real Madrid boss turned Wolves down in 2016 to take the national team job, before reluctantly rejecting it again after Lage’s dismissal due to his father’s ill health, but after finally appointing him Shi believes it was meant to be.

Shi writes in his programme notes: “I’m very happy to finally welcome Julen to Wolves. I think it’s destiny. Football, as is life, is hard to predict, and even two weeks ago I was not sure that he would be here, but throughout this process, I have pushed a lot, so I’m very pleased that everything has come together.

“Julen has a strong personality and he’s a coach with clear leadership, not just with football players but with the clubs he has been at. He has a lot of experience in elite football and his track record is proven.

“We know we are in a difficult moment as a team right now, so we especially need a strong leader, with a strong personality, more than any other time I have been here. It is because of this that Julen was always our preferred choice.

“But now the hard work begins for Julen and his team as we look to him to help turn around our form. We want to win games and have enough points, but I don’t expect us to start winning straight away.

“The first job will be to change the form and see some improvements. Eventually, only the final results will show if we are strong enough or not, but I think that him coming here will give us a much better chance – in the long-term – to have much better results.”

Wolves’ recruitment process for Lage’s successor was an arduous one after initially missing out on Lopetegui and then being rejected by QPR boss Michael Beale.

Shi admits it has been a tough period and also thanks Davis for his job as caretaker.

The chairman added: “It has been a tricky period for the club, both on and off the pitch.

“Everyone has been aware of the process, and I am comfortable to admit that it has been a challenge to find the right head coach, particularly during the middle of the season. The process has been painful at times, there have been ups and downs, but eventually the final result is a very good one.

“When we first began the process to appoint a new head coach, of course we didn’t plan on it taking so long, but Steve has helped us throughout this uncertain period of time. Only because we felt safe in his hands to manage the team did we have enough time, enough patience or enough tolerance to take our time in ensuring we got the right head coach.

“Since Steve, James and the team have been in charge, we have seen clear performance improvements. We’ve still lost some games, but it’s very clear to see that in some key aspects we have improved. Of course, Steve can’t improve everything, but he’s improved some areas, and he’s given a chance to young players, like Hugo Bueno and Joe Hodge – not just for the sake of playing them, but because he knows them and knows how they can help the team.

“Being head coach of a Premier League team is a difficult job and, to be honest, it’s one that I wouldn’t want, but he has a strong personality to have taken this job on. From a pragmatical standpoint, you know it’s not your job for long-term, you know you may be criticised by the fans and you know it’s tough because the whole team is not in form, but he still decided to take the job.

“It’s taken courage for Steve to do this, and for this factor alone, he is to be praised. He is a true fan of the club, so maybe that gave him more motivation, but it also shows the unselfishness that he has to do everything possible to help the club.

“I would like to thank Steve, James and all the staff who have stepped up to support the first-team during the past six weeks. I’m happy to see anyone in the club, when they are needed, step up to help in other areas, and it has shown the standard of coaches we have here at Wolves working across the age groups.”