Julen Lopetegui has a huge job on his hands if he is going to keep Wolves up this season and the January transfer window will undoubtedly be vital to the Spaniard's hopes.

The Old Gold sit bottom of the Premier League ahead of the return of domestic football later this month, having scored just eight goals and conceded 24 in just 15 top-flight fixtures so far this season.

After impressing defensively last season but struggling in front of goal, with only the relegated sides scoring fewer, Wolves have managed to abandon their security at the back but look even worse going forwards, so it is no surprise that Bruno Lage was sacked.

Interim manager Steve Davis did little to stem the tide and Lopetegui will have to hope that Wolves start to look far more like their old selves once the World Cup break is over, otherwise, he risks taking them back down to the Championship.

In a recent interview with Football FanCast, journalist Pete O'Rourke suggested what he feels Wolves need in order to move up the table.

He said:

"We all know that Wolves have struggled so far this season, finding themselves bottom of the table. I think a good January transfer window, with the squad that's already there, they can quickly move up the table and get themselves out of trouble."

Reports have suggested that Loptegui is set to be backed by the Wolves board in January, as it seems clear that several signings are needed if they want to avoid the drop.

A striker and a centre-back must be a priority for the former Sevilla boss considering the lack of depth in those positions, as injuries to Sasa Kalajdzic and Raul Jimenez proved disastrous in the first half of the campaign, while Nathan Collins' red card vs Manchester City left Ruben Neves in defence, such is the quality of alternative options in the heart of Wolves' backline.

However, they still have highly-regarded Premier League players such as Neves, Pedro Neto and Matheus Nunes at their disposal, so it seems fair to suggest that a few signings and the new manager bounce could just get Wolves out of trouble, but Jeff Shi must be willing to spend the necessary money.