Wolverhampton Wanderers confirm Bruno Lage exit

Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed that they have sacked head coach Bruno Lage.

On Saturday evening, the Portuguese watched his side succumb to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of West Ham United, who had started the game at the London Stadium behind Wolves in the Premier League standings.

The latest setback leaves Wolves sitting in the relegation zone with just six points being collected from their eight matches.

Furthermore, Wolves have scored just three times during those fixtures, failing to net more than once in any of their outings in the top flight during 2022-23.

When including last season's run-in, Lage's side had recorded just one win in 15 matches before his departure on Sunday, a period which also includes nine defeats.

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Speaking to the club's official website, chairman Jeff Shi said: "Bruno is an excellent coach, a hardworking and dedicated manager, and a warm, wise and honest man.

"He and his staff have been a pleasure to work with throughout their time at Wolves, so it is with much sadness that we have had to make what has been a difficult decision.

"I honestly have no doubts about Bruno's ability, and I'm sure he will succeed elsewhere, however the team's form and performances over the last few months mean that we have no choice but to act.

"On behalf of everyone at Wolves, I would like to place on record our gratitude to Bruno and his coaching team for all their efforts during their time with the club, and wish them the very best for the future."

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In total, Lage was in charge for 51 matches, recording 19 wins and 22 defeats in all competitions since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo in June 2021.

Wolves say that Steve Davis and James Collins, who work with the Under-18 and Under-21 setups respectively, will take over first-team training ahead of Saturday's trip to Chelsea.

As it stands, there is no standout frontrunner for the job with the likes of Sporting Lisbon's Ruben Amorim, Porto's Sergio Conceicao and former Olympiacos boss Pedro Martins potentially emerging as contenders.

Julen Lopetegui, currently in charge of Sevilla, may also come into contention with Fosun International wanting to appoint the Spaniard when they initially completed a takeover of Wolves in 2016 before he received an offer to manage his national team.