Wolves have parted company with Spanish manager Julen Lopetegui less than one year on from when now Rangers boss Michael Beale rejected an approach from Molineux.
Whilst the Premier League side’s official statement gives little away regarding the situation, it is clear that the decision to remove Julen Lopetegui from the Wolves post is a mutual one.
According to the Guardian, the decision comes due to “breakdown in the relationship between club and manager” with ex-Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil poised to replace the Spaniard.
The decision comes as a sizeable shock south of the border given that the Premier League season is just days away from kicking off and now Wolves face uncertainty ahead of the new campaign.
Wolves are set to kick off their season at home to Manchester United, who they play on Monday evening (14/08).
But from a Rangers point of view, Michael Beale’s controversial decision to turn down an approach from Wolves during his time at QPR has taken a fresh twist.
Julen Lopetegui leaves Wolves after Michael Beale twist
The now Rangers manager was widely lauded for turning down a Premier League approach from Wolves last October, just months into his impressive early tenure with QPR last season.
Beale’s first job in management, the former Ibrox assistant had the Rs competing at the top of the Championship table and combined with his reputation as a bright coach south of the border, soon had Wolves knocking on his door.
After an official approach was rebounded by the former Liverpool and Chelsea youth coach, Wolves instead moved for ex-Real Madrid, Sevilla and Spain manager Julen Lopetegui, who guided the club to a 13th place Premier League finish.
But despite turning down Wolves, little over a month later Michael Beale was being announced as the new Rangers manager, returning to Ibrox to replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
This incensed several voices in England, not least the QPR support, who viewed the return to Rangers as a stab in the back following the ill-fated Wolves approach.
As Julen Lopetegui leaves Wolves, it suggests there is some level of involvement at boardroom level which interferes with the process of management and it adds some colour to Michael Beale’s initial rejection.
Whilst the Rangers boss was clear that no-one turns down Glasgow Rangers even before he took the job with QPR, the fate of Julen Lopetegui suggests there might be more to the Wolves approach than meets the eye.
