While Wolves have endured a difficult start to the new campaign that has left some fans questioning the tactics of Bruno Lage, things could have been far worse for the Old Gold had they appointed Frank Lampard in 2021.

Following the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo in that very year, Lage was much the favourite to take over at Molineux but there were reports that Lampard was interested following his sacking by Chelsea.

Alex Crook revealed on talkSPORT that the former England midfielder was under consideration by Wolves despite them having already met with Lage.

The Midlands club would obviously go with Lage and the former Benfica man enjoyed a promising start to life in the Midlands, with a top eight finish looking well on the cards early last season, with defensive performances in particular impressive as they shipped only 43 times - the fifth-best record in the division.

However, they drastically fell away after a shocking end to the campaign that saw them earn just two points from the final seven games of the season, and that form has sadly continued into the new campaign.

Goals have been hard to come by for the Old Gold, with just three in the Premier League to their name, and that has seen them manage only six points from the opening seven games.

While this has put Lage under pressure, there is little to suggest that Lampard would have done a better job had he been appointed at Molineux.

The current Everton boss boasts a points-per-game average of just 1.24 from his time at Goodison Park, whereas Lage has averaged 1.34 points-per-game at Wolves, having taken charge of 21 more fixtures.

His 2.17 points-per-game average at Benfica is also far better than Lampard managed at either Derby County (1.63) or Chelsea (1.75), which suggests that he has far more pedigree working with top players, while he also has the advantage of being Portuguese, so can communicate effectively with Wolves' Lusitanic contingent.

Lampard's success at Derby County was largely built upon his connections at Chelsea, as both Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount starred at Pride Park on loan from the Blues, while he was quickly exposed for being out of his depth when handed the reins at Stamford Bridge.

The 44-year-old has already come under a lot of criticism for the way he called out Everton players last season as they came very close to relegation from the Premier League, with Chris Sutton labelling his approach "damaging".

While they boast similar records in the Premier League this season, Wolves definitely dodged a bullet in not appointing Lampard in 2021.