Julen Lopetegui: How Wolves boss saved club from Premier League relegation

Had Wolves fans been told on the eve of their last encounter with Everton that when the teams met again on the penultimate weekend of the season, one club would still be scrapping to avoid a perilous descent into the Championship, most would have assumed it would be theirs.

The one thing in their favour was they had a new manager in former Spain and Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui, who had reversed a previous decision to turn down the chance to succeed Bruno Lage after the health of his father became more manageable.

Wolves beat Everton thanks to Rayan Ait-Nouri's stoppage-time winner. It wasn't enough to take them out of the relegation zone, but it was the start of a sequence of results that included notable home wins against Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and, most recently, Aston Villa.

They have since become only the fourth side in the Premier League era to survive after being bottom on Christmas Day.

In addition, they did it with three games to spare, so with more breathing space than the three teams before them. There are some at Molineux who don't feel Lopetegui has got enough credit.

BBC Sport analyses how Premier League survival was achieved and explores what the future might hold for a club now looking forward to a sixth consecutive top flight season for the first time since the 1970s.

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The Lopetegui hunt

Towards the end of October, a senior Wolves executive took a trip to a Premier League match. A number of his family members support the club in question and, in some rare down time, the Wolves man took advantage of a blank few hours in his diary to see the game given the team he works for weren't playing.

It was the middle of a stressful time. Wolves were still searching for Lage's successor. Lopetegui had already said he couldn't commit to the job for personal reasons. Michael Beale had turned them down out of "loyalty" to QPR.

A chance meeting with someone who had played for Lopetegui underlined the importance of getting the 56-year-old. Lopetegui, the Wolves official was told, was the best coach the player had ever worked under. Had he remained in charge of Spain rather than being dismissed on the eve of the 2018 World Cup, they would have got further than the last 16, it was stressed.

Wolves eventually got their man on 5 November.

He didn't take over until the World Cup break. At Everton he began to put their season back together.

Ask Lopetegui when he truly believed the relegation battle could be won and he says he saw it in the response to defeats on the training ground.

"That is a key moment, a very important moment," he said. "Seeing them working here with the big commitment and belief. How they managed in bad moments was the key."

Others saw it much sooner.

Lopetegui took his players to Marbella for a training camp in December. The weather was rotten, high winds and heavy rain.

The response was impressive. No complaints and a commitment to respond to the new coach's methods.

That trip also allowed Lopetegui to get to know Matt Hobbs, who had taken over as technical director following the exit of Scott Sellars, who had borne the brunt of fan frustration during a particularly chastening 4-0 home defeat by Leicester on 23 October.

The pair hit it off instantly. The dividends of that would become evident over the next month.

Aiming high

Wolves set themselves a fairly lofty target of bringing in six new players in January. There were some inside the club's Compton training ground who felt the target was ambitious - and could leave them open to criticism if the recruitment didn't work out as hoped.

Others felt it was a risk worth taking as it showed intent to the fans. Better, it was felt, to aim high, fail and have to explain, than set the bar too low.

As it happened, after a slow start, Wolves got their six players. They included Craig Dawson, from West Ham, who would have been signed in the previous summer had the Londoners been able to bring in Jan Bednarek from Southampton.

Following goalkeeper Dan Bentley's impressive debut against Manchester United last weekend, all six have now made a positive impact over the second half of the season. Young Brazilian Joao Gomes has made a particular impression, with insiders believing he will eventually play in the Champions League.

Lopetegui's input was huge. During the Marbella trip he took part in a 40-minute Zoom call with a player some at the club felt there was little chance of persuading to join Wolves. Charming and charismatic, Lopetegui can converse in numerous languages. He is as easy talking with the children of players as he is with the player himself. It was not straightforward, but the Zoom call worked. The player signed.

Huge improvement by the likes of Nelson Semedo, who Lopetegui wants to sign a contract extension, and Max Kilman led to better results. Lopetegui introduced the concept of a 'clean sheet meal', where the first-team squad would go out together for a meal if they didn't concede, which Wolves had been bad at doing. From 8 April to 6 May, they kept four.

He is one of that rare breed of coaches players warm to and want to play for.

Only once during Lopetegui's reign so far has his side really let themselves down. And the embarrassment of the 6-0 defeat at Brighton is put down by some to the energy expended in trying to secure top-flight status.

Evidently, his CV is more Champions League than relegation scrap. Wolves feel Lopetegui's achievement this year has slipped by almost unnoticed. They feel rival clubs would be negligent were they not taking an interest in a man who began his coaching career with Rayo Vallecano in 2003.

But they also believe Lopetegui to be a man of honour - and he has another two years left on his contract.

Moving forward

Financial Fair Play issues have brought an added focus around what happens next for Wolves.

It is anticipated there will be a lot of transfer business, in and out, this summer. But the change is deeper and goes further.

There has been, it is argued, a reset at the club. For the first time in a long time, it is stressed, Wolves have a strategy they are in control of.

The balance is delicate. Wolves are justifiably proud of their women's and girls' teams and want to fund their progression. Improvements at the training ground and at Molineux are envisaged to ensure the legacy eventually left by Chinese owners Fosun goes beyond promotion to the Premier League and a memorable run to the Europa League quarter-finals.

All the time, Lopetegui is pushing for improvements to his squad. "The demands of the Premier League are very high," he said. "We have to be able to improve."

Plenty of work lies ahead but, as he prepares to meet Everton again, at least now there is certainty - and clarity - over the direction Wolves are headed.

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