Wolverhampton Wanderers announce Gary O'Neil as new head coach
Aug 09, 2023
Wolverhampton [UK], August 9 : After parting ways with Spanish head coach Julen Lopetegui, Wolverhampton Wanderers announced Gary O'Neil as the club’s new head coach ahead of the Premier League 2023–24 season on Wednesday.
Wolver released a statement about O'Neil's appointment.
"Wolves have appointed Gary O’Neil as the club’s new head coach ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League season," it said.
The highly regarded young coach is moving to Molineux on a three-year contract after he enjoyed a successful season in charge of AFC Bournemouth.
He gained plaudits from various players for improving performances and maintaining the club’s Premier League status.
At the age of 40, O'Neil becomes the Wolves’ youngest manager this millennium and is the first permanent British coach to lead the PL club in six years.
Having made more than 200 Premier League appearances as a midfielder for Portsmouth and West Ham United, O'Neil first stepped into coaching role with Liverpool’s under-23s in 2020, before joining the staff at Bournemouth in 2021.
After playing his part in the club’s promotion under Scott Parker, O'Neil stepped into the managerial hot-seat four games into the new campaign, following a 9-0 defeat against Liverpool.
Sporting director Matt Hobbs expressed his views on O'Neil's arrival.
"We’re delighted to welcome Gary to the club. He’s a highly motivated young coach with strong principles and very well thought of by everyone he has worked with, and we’re excited to see what we can achieve together at Wolves."
"Our players have shown their quality during pre-season, and I believe Gary and his team will continue to coach and improve them and will have success working with this group. Everyone at Wolves is looking forward to welcoming Gary, offering him their full support and working collaboratively to help the club to keep pushing forward together," Hobbs added.