Wolverhampton Wanderers to announce Bruno Lage exit?

Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly sacked head coach Bruno Lage after a poor start to the new Premier League campaign.

On Saturday evening, Wolves suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of West Ham United, leaving the club in 18th position in the standings.

As well as collecting just six points from eight matches, the West Midlands outfit have also netted just three goals in the top flight.

According to CNN Portugal, Lage has now been removed from his position in the dugout after just 16 months in charge.

The report claims that the Portuguese and his coaching staff have all been sacked, although it is suggested elsewhere by journalist Duncan Castles that the club are considering whether to promote someone already at Molineux to the top role.

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Lage departs Wolves after overseeing just 51 matches, recording 19 wins and 22 defeats in all competitions since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo.

Despite starting last season with three successive defeats, the 46-year-old soon transformed Wolves into contenders for European qualification.

Heading into February, his side were even regarded as challengers for Champions League football, but two defeats to Arsenal in quick succession derailed Wolves ahead of the run-in.

Instead of finishing in the top eight, where they had spent much of the second half of the campaign, Wolves went down to 10th spot on the final day of the season.

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Lage was heavily backed in the transfer market during the summer, signing the likes of Nathan Collins, Matheus Nunes and Goncalo Guedes.

However, Wolves still under-performed in the final third and have failed to score more than once in any of their league games during 2022-23.

Should it be confirmed, Lage will leave Molineux with just one win from his most recent 15 matches in the Premier League ahead of a trip to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on October 8.

Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Amorim, Porto's Sergio Conceicao and former Olympiacos boss Pedro Martins are reportedly contenders to replace Lage.