Gary O’Neil withdraws from talks over Wolves return | OneFootball

Former Wolves boss Gary O’Neil has pulled out of the running to return to Molineux, according to reports from BBC Sport.

The 42-year-old was close to agreeing terms to replace Vitor Pereira, who was dismissed on Sunday after a 3-0 defeat at Fulham left Wolves rooted to the bottom of the table with just two points from ten matches. However, sources have confirmed that O’Neil, sacked by Wolves last December, has now withdrawn from the process despite significant progress in negotiations.

O’Neil, who is still receiving payments from his 12-month severance deal, had initially been open to a return after nearly a year out of work. His re-emergence as a candidate came as a surprise both inside and outside the club, given the nature of his exit and the strained relationship with executive chairman Jeff Shi, who later admitted Wolves “did not act early enough” in dismissing him.

Attention now turns to alternative targets, with Erik ten Hag, recently sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after a brief spell, among those under consideration. Rob Edwards, currently at Middlesbrough, is admired at Molineux but is thought to be difficult to prise away due to compensation demands.

Wolves’ struggles mirror those of O’Neil’s early tenure, having again failed to win any of their opening ten league games. His decision to withdraw leaves the club continuing their search for a new head coach amid deepening uncertainty and growing relegation fears.

GFN | Finn Entwistle