After officially parting ways with Gary O’Neil following a late 2-1 defeat against relegation rivals Ipswich Town, Wolverhampton Wanderers are now reportedly eyeing a potential replacement who is currently enjoying a six-game winning run.
Wolves sack Gary O'Neil
Many believed that West Ham United would be O’Neil’s final game in a battle against fellow under-pressure manager Julen Lopetegui. But even after another damning defeat, Wolves backed their manager and reiterated that he would receive the reinforcements that he so desperately needed in the January transfer window. One week later, however, defeat against Ipswich has proved to be a step too far and O’Neil has been shown the door.
Releasing a statement after sacking O’Neil, chairman Jeff Shi said: “We’re very grateful to Gary for all of his effort, dedication and hard work during his time at the club, and we wish him and his team the best of luck for the future.”
Sat four points adrift of Premier League safety and in the middle of a packed festive period of fixtures, the Midlands club must find their replacement as soon as possible and they must get their next appointment right.
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On that front, names such as David Moyes and more recently Vitor Pereira have been mentioned, with David Ornstein going as far to suggest that the Midlands club are working on a deal to appoint the Al-Shabab manager. But the former Fenerbahce boss isn’t the only one stealing the headlines.
According to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Wolves are now eyeing John Eustace to replace O’Neil following his impressive run of form in charge of Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, with the reliable reporter calling him one to watch.
The Blackburn boss has guided his side to six wins in a row and has taken them within five points of an automatic promotion place as a result. Taking them from a relegation battle to playoff contention, Eustace is a manager on the rise.
"Solid" Eustace lacks Premier League experience
Whilst Eustace deserves plenty of plaudits for his time in charge of Birmingham City, which came to an abrupt end in a decision that they would go onto regret, and now at Blackburn Rovers, Wolves are in no position to take a risk. Experience should be what they are looking for rather than what would be the unknown in the Premier League.
The likes of Moyes stand out as a far more assured appointment and one that is more likely to steady the ship at the Molineux. Eustace, meanwhile, does not have the experience to offer such a guarantee. Instead, the Blackburn boss could be an option to turn towards if Wolves manage to maintain their Premier League place and start fresh in the summer.
HLTCO is among those to have praised Eustace after he was controversially sacked by Birmingham, who suffered relegation as a result of dismissing their manager, having described the job he was doing at the time as “solid”.
Of course, it was Eustace who had the last laugh and whilst Birmingham sit in League One, he could receive the biggest job of his managerial career so far if Wolves come calling in the next week or so.