When Nuno Santo decided to leave Wolves, it sent shockwaves throughout the city of Wolverhampton.
It was a huge surprise to see him depart Molineux but it now gives the entire club a fresh start, something that’s needed after their bottom-half finish.
What’s the word?
With Wolves in the hunt for a new manager, a number of coaches have been fed through to Fosun by super-agent Jorge Mendes.
Paulo Fonseca is in the hunt but former Benfica manager Bruno Lage appears to be at the top of the pile right now.
However, in recent days, Wolves have begun talking to former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.
That’s according to reporter Alex Crook who was speaking on talkSPORT this week: “I was told by a very reliable source that Wolves have started to make enquiries about Frank Lampard,” he commented.
The 42-year-old was sacked from his role as manager of Chelsea back in January and is yet to find new work.
A good appointment
Lampard may have lost his job at Stamford Bridge but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t be a strong appointment for Wolves.
After all, he’s proven to be impressive with both Derby and the Blues.
He nearly achieved promotion with the Rams, developing a bold play-style that centred around young players in Fikayo Tomori, Harry Wilson and Mason Mount.
[snack-amp-story url= "https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-transfer-rumours-and-news-soumare-dias-dembele-marques-nuno-santo" title="Read the latest Wolves transfer rumours and news!"]
Lampard then secured Champions League qualification with Chelsea despite being in the middle of a transfer embargo.
Used to working with a smaller budget, that could suit a Wolves team who are looking to operate shrewdly in the upcoming window.
After all, the main reason Nuno left was due to a lack of resources that were going to be handed to him this summer.
On top of that, Jeff Shi has always had a desire to improve the club from the academy upwards. It’s seen the likes of Diogo Jota and Pedro Neto develop from promising young talents into genuine Premier League stars.
Lage has proven adept at improving some of the biggest names around including Joao Felix and Ruben Dias but Lampard also has a similar ability in his locker.
He helped turn Mason Mount into one of England’s key players and aided Tammy Abraham in his cause to become Chelsea’s top goalscorer in consecutive years.
Crucially, he also has experience of managing in England.
Lage may have won the league in Portugal but coaching in the Premier League is a whole different ball game. If you’re not ready, it’ll swallow you whole and spit you back out.
Lampard also appears to be wise to the way Wolves want to play. Speaking about them in 2019, the ex-midfielder said: "I am very impressed by Nuno, looking from the outside and the way that he shows himself in the media and the unity they have. They have a style they believe in and I like the way he operates."
With that in mind, perhaps the former England international could bring a similar swagger to their counter-attacking play.
Both would be smart appointments but Lampard should hold the upper hand. His methods and experience could well revive Wolves next season.