Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil, along with his coaching staff, has signed new four-year contracts with the club. The 41-year-old engaged in informal discussions at the end of the last season, with a clear intention from the club to finalize a new agreement.
O’Neil’s backroom team includes assistant head coach Tim Jenkins, first-team coaches Shaun Derry and Ian Burchnall, head of goalkeeping Neil Cutler, and first-team coach analyst Woody Dewar, all of whom have also signed new deals.
“I’m absolutely loving my time here,” O’Neil expressed. “My staff love it, my family love it, so it’s felt a really special place for us over the past year and I’m looking forward to continuing the journey.”
Wolves chairman Jeff Shi commented on the future of the club, stating, “I think the club has a positive future, building a new cycle for growth, better results on the pitch and ambitions to realise.” He emphasized O’Neil’s importance to the club, saying, “To prepare for that, we need a very good team and I think Gary is a key member of the team, maybe even the most important member, so we are very happy to have him here for the long term.”
Shi praised O’Neil’s work ethic and humility, noting, “He works very hard and is very humble. He might be the humblest manager I have ever worked with and one of the most hard-working coaches I’ve ever met. His strengths are around his tactics and his chemistry with the players.”
Under O’Neil’s management, Wolves finished 14th in the league last season. He took over the managerial role on August 9, just days before the start of the 2023-24 season, succeeding Bruno Lage.
However, O’Neil will have to navigate the upcoming season without Pedro Neto, who is nearing a £54 million transfer to Chelsea. Addressing the upcoming transfer window, O’Neil stated, “I know we’ve done some good stuff and the ones who’ve arrived have really helped us, but we still need to do a bit of work on juggling a few things around to make us balanced.” He added that he, Shi, and sporting director Matt Hobbs have “some bits to do in the transfer window” to enhance the squad further.
