Wolves manager Gary O'Neil is 'growing with every game'

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·9 February 2024

Wolves manager Gary O'Neil is 'growing with every game'

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O'Neil is impressing and growing with every game, disproving doubts about his appointment at Molineux.
Wolves have exceeded expectations, sitting in the top half of the Premier League and advancing to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Despite financial restrictions, Wolves have already surpassed their goal-scoring record during the 2023/24 season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil is “growing with every game”, as journalist Dean Jones heaps praise on the job he has done at Molineux during the 2023/24 season.

Wolves had been predicted to struggle at the bottom of the Premier League this term, having endured a tumultuous 2023 summer transfer window which saw several key players and then-head coach Julen Lopetegui leave the club.

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Yet past the halfway point of the season, Wolves sit in the top half of the league table and have an FA Cup Fifth Round tie to look forward to later in February. O’Neil has seen his reputation grow during his time at Molineux and hopes that, after a positive first six months in charge, he is set for a long and successful career in the Black Country.

During the summer of 2023, Wolves were a club in trouble. Wanderers needed to balance the books in the transfer market to remain compliant with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules. The window saw Wolves generate £140m in player sales following the departures of key players such as Conor Coady, Raul Jimenez, Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes.

Having grown frustrated with the club’s lack of business in the summer, former manager Lopetegui agreed to mutually terminate his contract less than a week before the season got underway. The former Sevilla and Real Madrid head coach was swiftly replaced with O’Neil, who was thrown into the Molineux hot seat amid financial trouble and unrest.

Fast-forward six months, and the ex-AFC Bournemouth manager has proved his doubters wrong in the Black Country. Wolves sat in the top half of the Premier League before the beginning of gameweek 24. O’Neil has also inspired his side to FA Cup triumphs over Brentford and fierce rivals West Bromwich Albion, setting up a Fifth Round tie with Brighton & Hove Albion at Molineux on 28th February.

Wolves have already scored more goals in the Premier League during the 2023/24 season than last term (32), when they finished as the division’s least productive side. That is despite being restricted to making just four first-team signings during the summer transfer window, whilst 18-year-old Noha Lemina was the only winter arrival.

In December 2023, Talking Wolves presenter Dave Azzopardi told GIVEMESPORT that O’Neil has made ‘many people eat their words’ about his appointment at Molineux. However, the 40-year-old head coach hopes his side can be consistent through the end of the season as sporting director Matt Hobbs looks towards the 2024 summer transfer window.

Dean Jones - O’Neil is ‘almost discredited’ because of his name

Jones has been impressed by O’Neil throughout the 2023/24 season and feels he is growing into his role as Wolves head coach. The journalist thinks that the former West Ham United player is often “discredited” due to his name and reputation as a player. Jones told GIVEMESPORT:

“I've been impressed by O’Neil throughout the 2023/24 season. I feel like he's growing with every game that he is Wolves manager. I think you look at some bosses who get big jobs on status and name alone and don't live up to the hype. Then you look at somebody like O’Neil, who’s almost discredited because of his name and his reputation as a player, and people keep him at a lower tier or at arm's length when it comes to really giving him the credit he deserves.”

Wolves transfer news, including an update on Bruno Jordao’s next destination

Despite Hobbs's desperate search for an affordable striker, Wolves didn’t welcome any first-team signings during the 2024 winter transfer window. Wanderers were wary of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules and didn’t want to jeopardise their position, having seen Everton slapped with a ten point deduction earlier in the 2023/24 season.

Jones had informed GIVEMESPORT on Deadline Day that Wolves were ‘desperately trying’ to sign an alternative to Armando Broja in the final hours of the market. The 22-year-old Chelsea striker joined Fulham on loan for the remainder of the season, with the Black Country outfit already missing out on the signing of Yuri Alberto. It means Wolves have been left short in the centre-forward department after allowing Sasa Kalajdzic and Fabio Silva to leave for Eintracht Frankfurt and Rangers on loan, respectively.

Earlier in February, Wolves cancelled the contract of midfielder Bruno Jordao. The 25-year-old arrived at Molineux alongside winger Pedro Neto in a double swoop from Braga during the 2019 summer transfer window.

However, Jordao struggled to establish himself at Molineux and, after various loans, saw his contract terminated this month. The midfielder is set to join Polish outfit Radomiak Radom in search of regular football elsewhere.