Ex-Wolves boss 'on the verge' of return to former club in next 24 hours

According to Sport Witness via Record, one of the biggest newspaper's in Portugal, Lage is being considered as the 'best option' for Benfica, as they search for a new manager. The Portuguese giants are dismissed Roger Schmidt just four games in to the new season.

Benfica want to address the managerial situation quickly, and according to the report, director of football Rui Costa wants Lage in place ahead of their training session on Friday. Several names are being considered, but it is Lage who appears to be the standout candidate.

The 48-year-old is currently out of work after a four month stint in charge of Brazilian side Botafgo last year. He managed them from July to October 2023, but left after just 15 games, having been on an eight-game winless run.

Lage has already managed Benfica before, having first managed their 'B' team' for earning the big job in January 2019. During his time in charge at the Estadio da Luz, he won the Primeira Liga, and won the Manager of the Year award.

His time at Benfica came to an end in the summer of 2020, and a year later he found himself taking charge of Wolves. He replaced Nuno Espirito Santo, and during his first summer in charge, he oversaw the arrivals of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Hwang Hee-Chan, and Yerson Mosquera, who have all since gone on to become regular first-team players.

In his first season, Lage guided Wolves to a 10th-placed finish, an improvement of three places from the previous campaign. Lage attempted to overhaul the playing squad the following campaign, allowing Morgan Gibbs-White, Leander Dendoncker, and Conor Coady to depart, but with only one win from their opening eight matches, he was dismissed.

Botafogo was Lage's next job after Wolves, and now with 11 months out of the game, he looks for a return to Benfica. Should he land the job, he will be tasked with making up the four point gap that separate seventh-placed Benfica, and Sporting who are top.