The Big Kick-Off: Safety secured - now Julen Lopetegui wants to push Wolves on
Entering into his first full season at Wolves, Julen Lopetegui now has a very different task at hand.
When he arrived in November with Wolves bottom of the table, the Spaniard’s sole job was to keep Wolves in the Premier League.
He had ups and downs, but he achieved that with three games remaining, when for months it looked certain to go to the wire.
Overspending in the last two windows means Wolves have had to be careful this summer – making some sales and spending wisely – and after uncertainty over Lopetegui’s future due to those spending restrictions, the 56-year-old is now preparing for his first full campaign in charge.
It is fair to say that supporters have been uninspired for most of the summer and concerned over the slow business, but with Lopetegui at the helm the club should still be ambitious.
At the very least, Wolves need to stabilise. After a season of turmoil they need to offer their fans more bang for their buck, less heart-wrenching moments and look to build for the future.
The upcoming 2023/24 season can be a building block, but one with quiet optimism of success, solely because of Lopetegui. He is arguably the most high profile manager in Wolves’ history and easily the best they could have realistically appointed – he could work miracles next season, if everything falls into place.
Despite the anger at the lack of signings and inability to make moves earlier in the window (which is the same for most clubs), Wolves still have a good nucleus to their squad.
