Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly identified a potential successor to Bruno Lage in the form of ex-Olympiacos boss Pedro Martins, with the Midlands side seemingly contemplating a move for the 52-year-old at present.

What's the word?

According to the Express and Star, the Portuguese coach is under consideration by the club's ownership group, Fosun, having relieved Lage of his duties at Molineux following the recent defeat to West Ham United.

The report suggests that Martins could provide the added benefit of having worked with a number of the Old Gold stars in the past - including both Daniel Podence and Jose Sa at his former club - while a move should prove 'relatively straightforward' as he has links to Jorge Mendes' agency Gestifute, who have a strong affiliation with the Premier League side.

The piece goes on to add that the highly-rated coach - who is currently out of work after being turfed out of his recent post earlier this season - is 'interested' in the switch, having rejected the advances of Championship outfit, Hull City.

Immense success

While there may be concern in appointing a coach who has only recently faced the sack - after suffering a shambolic 4-0 defeat to Maccabi Haifa in Champions League qualifying in the summer - that was a rare blip in what was an otherwise stunning spell in Greece.

The former Vitoria Guimaraes coach had enjoyed "immense success" - in the words of journalist Kostas Lianos - after arriving at his former club back in 2018, going on to win three league titles in his final three full seasons at the club, while also enjoying notable high points in Europe.

Martins had seen his side only narrowly defeated on aggregate following a tight Europa League clash with his potential future employers back in August 2020, having seen off Arsenal with a dramatic late victory at the Emirates Stadium in the previous round.

The one-time Maritimo boss - who is a friend and former teammate of Nuno Espirito Santo - again got the better of Mikel Arteta the following season as his side clinched another victory in north London, albeit with the Gunners ultimately progressing on aggregate.

Martins has also previously earned glowing praise from former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino, with the Argentine saying of his counterpart ahead of a Champions League meeting back in September 2019: "Pedro Martins, likes to play football, to play from the back, moving the ball quickly. We know each other well."

While likely an unfamiliar name to most Wolves supporters, the evidence suggests that he could well be the man to reverse their current slump - having slipped into the relegation zone at present - having already proven himself against elite, English opposition in recent years.

Should he be given the right tools and the time to make his mark, there's no reason why he could not bring success to Molineux in the years to come.