Julen Lopetegui has officially left his position as manager of Wolves after just nine months in charge of the Premier League outfit. Both parties came to an agreement to part ways after it was reportedly known for some time that the Spaniard wanted to move on.
Lopetegui departs just days before the 2023/24 Premier League season gets underway but the club stated that talks had been “ongoing in recent weeks, held with the utmost respect and cordiality” to allow time for a replacement to be appointed. Ex-Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil is set to replace Lopetegui at the hilt.
While he was at the club for just a short amount of time, the 56-year-old oversaw a number of transfers, including some big money signings and sales. We’ve taken a look at 10 of the biggest headline-grabbing deals during Lopetegui’s tenure, including the club record sale of Rúben Neves.
1. Out: Rúben Neves (£47 million)
The former captain joined Saudi Arabia side Al-Hilal after six years with Wolves. He was the biggest sale under Lopetegui by far.
2. In: Matheus Cunha (£44 million)
After joining on loan in December, Cunha’s deal was made permanent. He scored just seven goals across all competitions during his last full season with Atlético and tallied two with Wolves last term.
3. Out: Raúl Jiménez (£5.5 million)
After 166 appearances, 57 goals and 24 assists, Jiménez left this summer to join Fulham. Although, his Transfermarkt value has plummeted since his £43m rating back in 2020.
4. In: João Gomes (£15 million)
The midfielder joined Wolves in January from boyhood club Flamengo, where he made 117 senior appearances but notched just three goals and four assists.