Owner seeks fourth manager in 10 months since £45m takeover

Fosun International, the owners of Wolverhampton Wanderers, are on the verge of appointing their fourth permanent manager in just 10 months.

Paul Lambert has left Molineux after the club finished 15th in the Championship in a season that also included a memorable FA Cup upset of Liverpool at Anfield.

In a statement the club said: “Wolves and Paul Lambert have agreed to part company following a football review which took place at the end of the season.

“The club would like to place on record its thanks to Paul for his dedication and professionalism during his time at the club, which included some memorable victories, and wish him all the best in his future career.”

The Chinese group, run by tycoon Guo Guangchang, bought the Championship club in July 2016 for around £45m.

By the end of the month, and with the club still in pre-season, they had sacked manager Kenny Jackett. He was replaced by former Italian goalkeeper Walter Zenga, who has had a nomadic managerial career, but he left four months later having won six of his 17 games.

Lambert fared better but a lacklustre end to the season, where poor results were matched by poor performances, seems to have sealed his fate.

Former Porto boss Nuno Espirito Santo is expected to be confirmed as the club’s manager shortly.

He has a long-standing relationship with Portuguese super-agent Jorge Mendes, who has been advising Fosun and the club.