Wolverhampton Wanderers have sacked manager Walter Zenga today.
Ex-Wolves manager Walter Zenga
Wolverhampton Wanderers confirmed this afternoon that manager Walter Zenga has lost his job after less than three months in charge.
Zenga, 56, took charge of just 17 games as Wolves manager, winning only six times in all competitions, four of which came in the Championship.
The Italian leaves Molineux with Wolves in 18th place in the Championship table, just four points clear of the bottom three – and maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by Zenga’s swift exit.
Whilst much of his playing career was tied to Inter Milan during a lengthy spell with the Italian giants, his managerial career has been much more nomadic. Wolves were Zenga’s 16th managerial job in 18 years, and the Fosun Group have decided that it’s time for change already.
Marco Silva
Ahead of this weekend’s game with strugglers Blackburn Rovers, bookmakers have been pricing up odds for who could become the new Wolves manager – and here are five of the most notable moves today, as compiled by Oddschecker.
Marco Silva: The Portuguese manager is represented by super-agent Jorge Mendes, who is advising Wolves in their search for a new boss. 39-year-old Silva is unsurprisingly in the running, and is currently the favourite with most bookies, with Silva as short as 13/8 for the job in some places. Silva won the Greek league title with Olympiakos last season, and boasted a win rate of 58.5% during his time in charge of Sporting Lisbon.
Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce: ‘Big Sam’ may have lost his job as England manager last month, but the Dudley-born boss would be a popular appointment for Wolves. Allardyce would be a major coup for Wolves but ultimately an unlikely appointment, though odds this evening are as short as 5/2 for Allardyce to make a shock move to Molineux.
Andre Villas-Boas: A well-known name for many, former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Villas-Boas is also represented by Mendes, meaning he’s one of the frontrunners for the job with bookmakers. Currently out of work having left Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg over the summer, the Portuguese boss may not be too keen on a return to England given his frayed relationship with the media, but bookmakers have ‘AVB’ in at 7/1 for the job tonight.
Andre Villas-Boas
Willy Sagnol: A World Cup winner as a player with France in 1998, Sagnol is out of management having been sacked as Bordeaux boss in March. A surprise name in the mix, Sagnol made his name with Bayern Munich as a player and would be a big-name appointment for Wolves, but doesn’t possess much managerial experience. Currently as short as 4/1, Sagnol is a name to keep an eye on.
Ryan Giggs: Touted for every job going at the moment, Welshman Giggs is unsurprisingly being tipped for Wolves too. Out of work having left Manchester United upon Jose Mourinho’s appointment over the summer, Giggs is looking for his big break as a manager, and he could do a lot worse than dropping into the Championship with Wolves right now. Currently at 12/1, Giggs appears to be a dark horse to replace Zenga.
Who would you like to see Wolves appoint as their new manager?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
