Sporting director Matt Hobbs 'never in doubt' over Julen Lopetegui's Wolves future

On Thursday, it was confirmed the Wolves boss, whose future has been in doubt over recent weeks over his concerns around the club's ability to spend this summer, will remain in charge next season.

After the Express & Star revealed Wolves' strategy for a low net spend this summer, after overspending in recent windows, Lopetegui admitted he was unaware of those issues when he arrived at the club and cast doubt over his future.

The 56-year-old has spent the last few weeks since the season ended contemplating his position, and after talks with Wolves has confirmed he will stay in his post.

Hobbs admitted that he was never in doubt over the decision Lopetegui would make - but explained that the 'project' is different to what he thought it was when he took over at Molineux.

He said: "There’s been a lot of chat about the club on the back of Julen’s press conferences before the season finished. What’s important is we’ve been in constant contact throughout.

"I was never in any doubt that he would remain at Wolves, but we have to acknowledge the project is different to what he thought it was. We had to allow him time to understand it and get his head around how to build a squad to be competitive in the Premier League.

“He’s committed, he loves the area and the club. You can see the affinity he has built with the fans, and I never saw a situation where he wouldn’t be our manager.

"We’ve been working on our strategy for the summer, and while it may be slightly different to what we thought it would be six months ago, that’s football and we have to react to it.

“I could never question his and his team’s commitment. If you look at their work ethic day in, day out, their attention to detail across all departments, the time they spend here, their families coming over, anyone questioning their dedication is completely wrong.

"What is fair is that his understanding of the project was different to what it is now, so you have to allow time for that to settle, especially with a manager at his level."

Due to financial fair play rules, the club will need to raise some funds before splashing the cash this summer

Hobbs and his team are largely focusing on the £8million-£15million range, where the majority of their successful signings have been secured.

The sporting director explained Wolves' financial fair play situation is not unique to them, with a number of clubs in the same position this summer.

He added: "I’ve spoken to a lot of sporting directors at clubs and it’s going to be a slow start to the window for clubs at our level. We’re not the only club working within FFP limitations, and there will be a lot in the Premier League looking at this summer’s transfer window in a different way.

“Generally, the likelihood is that players will leave before we can bring new faces in. The reality is the season has only recently finished, players are away on international duty, and deals will start to happen after clubs start to return for pre-season.

“When it’s such a long race, the summer window, it’s a lot of posturing – waiting for your moment, and with every player you want to sign, there’ll always be a moment. It won’t be like the winter, where we go for six and get all six, because the summer is different because more clubs are spending money.

"We feel we’re in a good position for a number that we like, but obviously we have to make sure the finances balance out. What’s still a big pull for people is Julen. Players want to come and play for this manager.”