Latest news with #MattHobbs
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Pereira's voice growing at Wolves amid recruitment reshuffle
Wolves writer and broadcaster Johnny Phillips suggests that there is a reshuffle within the club in terms of recruitment, with current manager Vitor Pereira having a bigger say. The Midlands club were embroiled in a relegation battle before Pereira took over and finished the season 17 points clear of the drop. "What we are seeing now with Matt Hobbs' departure and the possible incoming of a technical director and a bit of restructuring around the club is that Pereira's voice will be heard more so than recent managers," Phillips said to BBC's Wolves podcast From the Moment of Realisation. "The role of sporting director won't exist in the current shape. There's talk of a technical director could be coming in, Domenico Teti has been mentioned, having worked with Vito Pereira at Al-Shabab. "There's also an increased role for Matt Jackson from his current remit. So, there is a little reshuffle going on, and I expect Wolves to be more fluid. "The past two years have had a slight sense of waste about them. Wolves have been on the back foot, behind the eight-ball, and then spent time trying to recover positions. But it would be nice to think that you could have a starting block where the squad would be in good shape at the start of the season, rather than maybe bringing in players in the mid-season transfer window and desperately trying to avoid relegation battle." Listen here on BBC Sounds
New York Times
4 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs leaves club in leadership overhaul
Wolverhampton Wanderers sporting director Matt Hobbs has left Molineux with the club in talks to appoint former Sampdoria technical director Domenico Teti. Wolves are restructuring their football department with Jorge Mendes and his Gestifute agency expected to be handed a more prominent role. That change sees the departure of Hobbs, who has spent almost a decade at the club in various roles, including as sporting director since November 2022 after Wolves parted company with his predecessor Scott Sellars. Advertisement The club says Hobbs is departing by 'mutual consent' and thanked him for his contributions. Teti, 48, has been out of football since leaving Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab, where he worked with Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira. Hobbs was previously chief scout and head of player recruitment, having started work at Wolves in the academy recruitment team. His departure will mean Matt Jackson, Wolves' head of professional football development, taking on an increased role in contract negotiations and recruitment. But it will also mean Mendes and Gestitfute , who were responsible for bringing some of the most successful players of the Fosun era to Molineux along with some less successful signings, taking on an increased role again. Head of scouting Ben Wrigglesworth remains in charge of the recruitment team but it is likely that Fosun and chairman Jeff Shi will again lean on Gestifute, as they did in the early years of Fosun's ownership. Head coach Vitor Pereira, himself a Gestifute client, will also have a big say in summer signings. There was a time when Matt Hobbs looked set to steer Wolves away from their Gestifute era permanently. For several years he and his recruitment team had wanted the chance to take charge of signings at Molineux after the hit rate of Mendes began to wane after his spectacular successes in the early years of Fosun's ownership. After Gestifute players including Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Raul Jimenez underpinned an era of success unprecedented in modern times, less impressive signings like Matheus Nunes and Goncalo Guedes helped persuade Wolves to move towards a more conventional setup with Hobbs at its head. After a successful January window under Julen Lopetegui, which included signings championed by Hobbs including Craig Dawson, Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes, it seemed the strategy was working. And when Hobbs' choice for head coach, Gary O'Neil, led the team well clear of relegation trouble and to within minutes of an FA Cup semi-final, it seemed that the British-led revolution was in full swing. But the dramatic decline of O'Neil's reign led Wolves to turn back to Mendes in December when they appointed Vitor Pereira, and the head coach was the driving force behind the signings of Emmanuel Agbadou and Marshall Munetsi in January. He is set to get a greater say this summer, meaning an inevitably bigger role for Gestifute and a diluting of Hobbs' influence. The two parties have now decided a clean break is the best way forward. Wolves have had joy before with the Gestifute model and there is no reason why it cannot work again. But if it does not and another change of coach is needed, it will prompt obvious questions about who within the club runs the football infrastructure. ()
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Wolves eye new technical director in leadership overhaul
Wolves are in talks with former Sampdoria technical director Domenico Teti about taking a top position in a restructured leadership team at Molineux this Italian, who worked alongside Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira at Saudi Pro League's Al-Shabab in 2024, has emerged as a serious candidate for a position at the Premier League are under way and understood to be progressing positively. A full agreement is yet to be struck but there is hope a deal, which would be subject to a successful visa application, is Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs' position is thought to be under threat as a result of Teti's possible arrival and the planned is understood if Hobbs leaves and Teti agrees to join, the latter would be a technical director rather than hold the title of sporting were dragged into a relegation fight last season but the appointment of Vitor Pereira in December as new head coach following the sacking of Gary O'Neil saw the club comfortably avoid the remains to be seen whether Pereira is handed greater influence in terms of recruitment this 48, has worked across a number of clubs in Europe in an executive recruitment capacity, including at Apoel Nicosia, Sampdoria, Novara and Hellas is a free agent after leaving Al-Shabab last year.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Wolves Transfer DealSheet: Summer window latest, key targets and likely exits
After a season that ran mostly at 100mph, Wolves' summer has started at breakneck speed, too. With one key player already sold, another on the way out and a third senior figure confirmed to be leaving, plus another club captain with a decision to make on his future, the scale of the summer project is becoming clear. The next three months will see some major changes to Vitor Pereira's squad. The Athletic takes a look at them below. As always with Wolves, there will be suggestions coming from a variety of sources. Sporting director Matt Hobbs and the recruitment team, led by Ben Wrigglesworth, will have lists of players for each position who have been researched over a period of time. Agent Jorge Mendes, with his longstanding links to owners Fosun, will inevitably have clients to offer and, with one of his clients now also the head coach, his say may be louder this summer. Advertisement That client, Pereira, will also have ideas of his own — as he did in January when he pushed hard for the signings of Emmanuel Agbadou and Marshall Munetsi. But ultimately, it will be chairman Jeff Shi and his paymasters Fosun who have the final say on all deals. They say they have learned from not sanctioning some transfers that were lined up last summer, but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. Much will depend on who leaves, but it is already clear they will be looking for players to fill the dual No 10 roles in Pereira's 3-4-2-1 system. With Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha already confirmed departures and Wolves also expected to look to end Goncalo Guedes' time at Molineux, they must increase their options in those forward positions, especially with Hwang Hee-chan's struggle for form now stretching back more than a year. They will also be in the market for at least one wing-back, with Rayan Ait-Nouri expected to leave for Manchester City. They will probably need two if soon-to-be free agent Nelson Semedo rejects the new Wolves deal that remains on the table. And Jorgen Strand Larsen is the only specialist No 9 in the squad, although Pereira sees Hwang fitting better into that role in his system rather than playing deeper or wider. Elsewhere, they are well off for numbers, but some rebalancing is needed with some players not in Pereira's plans replaced with some who might be. Pereira has spoken about the need for forwards capable of beating defenders one-on-one, so signing dribblers will be a key part of his strategy when signing his wide players and No 10s. And he wants a left-footed central defender to provide backup and competition for Toti on the left of Wolves' back three, which might necessitate the departure of one of the many right-footers currently in the squad. When Yerson Mosquera returns from injury (probably in pre-season or early in the new campaign) to join Emmanuel Agbadou, Matt Doherty, Santiago Bueno and Nasser Djiga, there will be one player too many. Andre also has no specialist understudy in the deep-lying midfield role, so that is also a vacancy Pereira will be keen to fill. Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto almost signed for Wolves in January 2024, and Wolves remain admirers. But there is a long way to go before any deal is revived for the Brazilian. Five years after he arrived at Wolves as a record signing for more than £30million, Wolves hope this is the summer they finally make some money back on Fabio Silva. With the striker entering the final year of his Molineux contract on the back of a solid season in La Liga, Wolves are optimistic about finding a buyer. Advertisement They would also like to offload Guedes, while they would listen to offers for Hwang, Tommy Doyle and Boubacar Traore. Deals for them would need to be right. Cunha has already gone for £62.5million, while Ait-Nouri's prospective departure will bring in more cash. Doyle and Traore could leave on loan if there are no suitable permanent bids, while youngsters such as Nathan Fraser and Alfie Pond are primed to head out for first-team experience. Another youngster, Nigel Lonwijk, is set to go on loan again, having already impressed at League One level, while Hugo Bueno may yet seek another loan if he is not convinced of his first-team prospects at Wolves. Winger Enso Gonzalez will also be available but, after he missed all of last season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, he would have to prove his fitness before leaving in January. No deals are lined up for new players, but Strand Larsen's loan becoming a permanent move is a formality after he made the requisite number of appearances to trigger an obligation to buy. Wolves have also decided not to take up their option to sign winger Carlos Forbs from Ajax and he has not played enough games for the option to become an obligation. With Sarabia and Cunha leaving early and Ait-Nouri likely to follow, there is also relative clarity on what is needed and what money is coming in. Fosun have indicated a willingness to relax their self-sustaining model in the transfer market slightly, but there will not be vast funds available from the owners so the majority of spending will need to be financed by sales. PSR is not expected to be an issue, with spending constraints more likely to come from general spending policies. (Top photos: Getty Images)
