Julen Lopetegui: Wolves have no time to waste after early safety

The win over Villa took Wolves to 40 points before results elsewhere in the days to follow meant the club were declared safe from relegation with three games to go.

Lopetegui and the Wolves hierarchy are currently having meetings to finalise the plans for the summer, and the head coach hopes the club will benefit from this extra time to prepare.

He said: “Of course, it’s better to have this situation. We don’t want to be going into the last match not knowing our future.

“It will be important and we will try to take advantage of this situation, that’s why I talk about helping the club and the chairman.

“After, all of us will try to have an agreement for the future of the club.”

Having previously managed Spain, Real Madrid, and Sevilla, Lopetegui is used to managing big players and having money to spend.

Once safety was secured, Lopetegui described keeping Wolves up as his best and most difficult achievement in his career.

Looking back on this achievement, Lopetegui concluded that he has also learned lessons about himself over the last few months.

“It’s very difficult to be out of relegation after arriving on Boxing Day bottom,” Lopetegui added. “I’ve read about the Premier League and I think it’s only the fourth time in history that a team bottom on Boxing Day is free.

“It has been the most difficult achievement for me. I’m not used to playing to get out of relegation, that’s why it’s a challenge for me as a coach and that’s why we came here, because I want a hard challenge.

“For me, it’s a lesson too, to be able to change anything about myself and help this team.

“It’s very difficult to win the Europa League or put Sevilla in the Champions League three times consecutively, but for me this is the most difficult achievement I have had in my career. I am happy for this achievement. We tried to put this energy and mentality into the players from the first day.

“We want to be balanced, when we win and lose, and that has been key to have their commitment and energy every day.

“If you are not balanced in football, maybe you are not ready to compete in the elite.”