Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui calls for 'long meeting' with chairman over summer plans

Spaniard has guided club to Premier League safety with three games to go

Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui celebrates after beating Aston Villa in the Premier League match at Molineux on May 6, 2023. Getty

Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui has called for a 'long meeting' with the club's owners about how they are going to take the club forward this summer.

The former Real Madrid and Sevilla coach took charge in November, following the sacking of Bruno Lage more than a month earlier after the Portuguese has overseen a run of one win in 15 Premier League matches, going back to the previous campaign.

When Lopetegui took charge of his first league game against Everton on December 26, after club football took a break for the Qatar World Cup, Wolves were in the bottom three and looking serious relegation contenders.

But after beating Aston Villa 1-0 last weekend, the Midlands club had risen to 13th and their top-flight status was secured for next season with three games to play.

Wolves have scored the fewest goals in the division this season after an injury crisis in attack has left them without strikers Sasa Kalajdzic and Raul Jimenez, with emergency signing Diego Costa scoring only once in 21 league appearances.

And Lopetegui is looking for assurances that the club will be making positive steps forward during the summer.

“We have to be together in the same way, we want to improve. In football you have to want to increase your performance and squad. This is about investment too,” said former Spanish national team coach Lopetegui, 56, ahead of Saturday's trip to Manchester United.

“I am going to have a long meeting with our chairman to hear him and hear what his ideas are for next year. This is going to be key for me.

“That's why I have to hear him and know first hand what his ideas are. After I will have more information to take a decision.

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“We have to improve and have to take advantage of the summer. If not we know the level of the Premier League; the first step is to hear him.

“Afterwards we will take our decision about a lot of players. In the right moment I'm going to talk, first with the club and afterwards with the players about what is going to be our idea.

“We have to be ready. This year has been a very hard year for all, maybe it can serve as a lesson for all of us.”

Four wins in the past six games have confirmed Wolves' Premier League status for a sixth consecutive season, allowing the club to plan without the anxiety of still being involved in a relegation battle.

“It's better to have this situation of course,” added Lopetegui. “We didn't want to wait until the last match without knowing our future.

“We're going to try to take advantage of this situation.”