Wolves take action over 40 year-old tipped to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool

Wolves hope to secure Gary O'Neil's future by offering him a new contract, just months after his appointment.

O'Neil was appointed manager of the Molineux outfit in August, succeeding Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the 2023/24 Premier League season. The 40-year-old has Wolves in the top-half of the table ahead of big-spending Chelsea, and are in to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup where they have a favourable cup tie against Coventry City.

He was appointed as head coach only seven months ago and signed a three-year contract, but already could be in line for a pay-rise and more security over his future. O'Neil has all but guaranteed the club's place in the top flight next season and that is despite an exodus of players that had to depart to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.

“That’s naturally where this is going – he’s done well enough to have that conversation,” said the Wolves sporting director, Matt Hobbs when asked about a potential extension to O'Neil's current contract at Molineux.

“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."

Talk of a new deal comes at a time where some are suggesting that O'Neil could be a contender for the Liverpool job which will become vacant at the end of the season. Jurgen Klopp announced he would be leaving the Reds at the end of the current campaign having won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup. Several people such as football finance guru Kieran Maguire and former England defender Glen Johnson are just two people that have listed O'Neil as a potential candidate.

The good news over O'Neil does stop there however after there was an admission that the club may have to sell one of their 'prized assets' this summer to stay within the parameters of FFP. Pedro Neto has been subject of interest from various clubs including Arsenal and Spurs, and is likely to be the player that could bring the highest transfer fee in to the club from the current set of players.

“We don’t want to sell more than two starters,” Hobbs said. “But if big clubs come [in] I’ve never been the person to stand in someone’s way as long as we can reinvest in the right way to move forward. We showed with other players leaving last year that we’re able to move forward with three or four starters going. We’re always looking to improve and we have the ability to turn down big offers, but every player has their number.”