Sporting director Matt Hobbs reveals Wolves contract plan

Following the departure of Julen Lopetegui just days before the Premier League season began in early August, O'Neil was brought in on a three-year contract.

The 40-year-old, in just his second season as a head coach, has proved many doubters wrong by taking Wolves into European contention and an FA Cup quarter-final.

And now Hobbs admits the club will look to reward O'Neil in the summer when they begin contract talks.

"That's naturally where this is going, he's done well enough to have that conversation," Hobbs said.

"Part of the conversation will be the plan for the club and that's where you have to have the honest conversations about what it looks like going forward.

"That is an inevitable situation we find ourselves in this summer, for sure.

"But let's not talk about it at the moment, let's keep an eye on what we're trying to do. We want to finish the season well and have the FA Cup to look forward to.

"We have more to play for with the league and the squad drive that a lot.

"I was chatting to Mario just after Christmas and he said he is expecting us to be there or thereabouts for Europe. These players have an expectation on themselves that if they perform to the level they can, they believe they have the ability to get into the top eight.

"That's been their ambition and Gary is the same.

"No players are coming to talk to me about new deals or anything like that, we're keeping our eye on the job and in the summer we'll take care of everything else."

But with success comes attention, and O'Neil has begun to be linked with other jobs – most recently West Ham and England.

Hobbs, however, remains relaxed on the possibility of interest in O'Neil and insists Wolves will have a succession plan ready should he depart.

"They should be looking at him," Hobbs said on the reported interest in O'Neil.

"Gary is unbelievably meticulous. His attention to detail is incredible and his work ethic is incredible. His staff, not just him, are a big part of it as well.

"I saw him linked to the England job. I get it. When we met him, we thought there might be something special about him. He has not done anything to go away from that.

"He is still learning and developing and improving, but he has humility. He listens, we talk at the training ground all the time.

"He is excellent and I would be surprised if clubs weren’t looking at him. But that is no different to a player. You have to be ready for it. You have to do your work in the background on players.

"You have to expect someone will come in for Joao Gomes. Do I think Joao wants to go? No. But the way he is playing, there will be clubs watching him for sure. I know there are. But we have been doing work for the last year to have a replacement ready if he goes.

"Brighton have done it brilliantly over the last few years. They have done it on managers. But a lot of the stuff they have done so well, for me, it is a lot of calm thinking, a lot of business-savvy common sense.

"My job is the easiest job in the club if I get the right people around me. That’s the right players, the right coach, bringing Phil Hayward back as the head of medical. Then my job is just to glue those guys together and make sure they communicate. We will be doing work on other head coaches, not because we want Gary to leave but because that is the prudent thing to do."

When chairman Jeff Shi tasked Hobbs with finding Lopetegui's replacement, he spoke to a number of candidates before landing on O'Neil.

They met in London and O'Neil put his case forward for the job, while Hobbs and his staff did their homework on the budding young coach.

"I spoke to a lot of people, like we do with players," Hobbs said.

"With what he achieved at Bournemouth, maybe because the last three games didn't go as well and it felt like it petered out, but I thought that took some gloss off what he did and he was undervalued.

"To keep that squad up and do what he did was really impressive.

"He presented and I don't think anyone else spoke for the next couple hours. He was going through everything he'd done, how he'd developed individuals and the team, what his style is and how he knew our players and how he'd adapt our style, and then what he wanted to transition to over the next couple years.