Wolverhampton Wanderers have sacked manager Walter Zenga.
Molineux
Wolverhampton Wanderers confirmed on Tuesday 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.
Ex-Nottingham Forest manager Dougie Freedman
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.
Dougie Freedman: Suddenly the shock favourite for the job, Freedman is just 8/11 to become the new Wolves boss. The 42-year-old has been out of work since losing his job at Nottingham Forest back in March, where he won 33% of his games. A former Wolves striker having scored ten goals in 29 games for the club, Freedman could be in line for a return to Molineux, but his limited success as a manager may not appease Wolves fans.
Former Fenerbahce manager Vitor Pereira
Sam Allardyce: The dream choice of Wolves supporters, Allardyce has drifted a little today, but only from 5/2 to 3/1. A boyhood Wolves fan, the Dudley-born boss is out of work having lost his job as England manager last month, and may relish the chance to rebuild his career with the club he grew up supporting.
Vitor Pereira: With super-agent Jorge Mendes assisting the Fosun Group in their search for a manager, it was only a matter of time before Portuguese bosses were linked. Now, it’s Pereira being touted for the post. Pereira, 48, has had a nomadic managerial career of late, taking charge of Porto, Al-Ahli, Olympiakos and Fenerbahce, the latter of which he left over the summer. Once highly regarded, Pereira needs a job to rebuild his reputation, and at 7/2 this evening, he could be calling Molineux home soon.
Nigel Pearson
Andre Villas-Boas: Intriguingly Pereira once worked as the assistant to Andre Villas-Boas at Porto, and both men are being linked with the job. Whereas Pereira’s odds are being cut, Pereira has moved from 7/1 to 18/1 in the last 24 hours, meaning a return to England for the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss looks unlikely following his departure from Zenit St. Petersburg earlier this year.
Nigel Pearson: Out of work having left Derby County earlier this month, Pearson’s reputation has plummeted since leaving Leicester City in the summer of 2015. His acrimonious exit from Derby has done little to inspire confidence in his abilities as a manager, but he’s believed to be in the mix for Wolves, coming in at 8/1 this evening.
Who would you like to see Wolves appoint as their new manager?
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