Wolves blog: Deja vu for Fosun
If the stories which have come out this week surrounding Paul Lambert’s future are to be believed, Fosun could be at risk of repeating their errors from last year.
Last summer Kenny Jackett was replaced with Walter Zenga, a man with a CV so large he needed an appendix to include his full career history, writes Tom Tracey.
Although the failures during Fosun’s early stewardship cannot be placed solely at Zenga’s door, he never seemed the right man for the job.
His replacement, Paul Lambert, inherited a squad overloaded in quantity but lacking in quality. Whilst he has had an indifferent start to his Wolves tenure, there are positive signs.
Should he be forced out by Wolves going in a different direction, it will create further turmoil and could be disastrous for Wolves.
The one thing Fosun do have on their side though, should they decide to change direction, is time.
Last season, Zenga took charge of Wolves with around a week of pre-season left, meaning there was little time for preparation. Many signings arrived during that first month of the season, which would not have helped the team’s cohesion.
Should Fosun make a move now, the season is just a week old and there would be around three months to prepare for next season’s promotion campaign.
Jorge Mendes is the most well-known agent in the world and to ignore his list of contacts would be senseless. However, Wolves must not become a marketplace for Mendes to buy and sell from for his own gain.
If Fosun own part of his agency, the involved parties should be aiming for the best interests of both. He should be an adviser to Wolves, not head of recruitment.
Only one person should have the final say in signing players – last season, it appeared there were numerous people completing transfers which led to such a huge squad.
If Paul Lambert remains as Head Coach of Wolves, he should have the final veto. Whilst his title is Head Coach, and not Manager, these problems which have come to light this week should have been ironed out when he joined the club.
He left Blackburn because of failed assurances from the owners and it seems obvious he would do the same if it happened here. He is an honest manager with strong principles and would not become a ‘yes-man’.
Whilst some may think he isn’t the right man for Wolves, he needs to be given a proper chance to prove himself. His January signings, Marshall and Weimann, have been positive additions and this bodes well going into the summer.
José Couceiro is the man linked with the Wolves job should Lambert walk. His CV reads like Walter Zenga Mk. II.
If Fosun allow Mendes to have a hand in recruitment, this will be the kind of manager Wolves are likely to appoint.
Fosun must ensure whichever path they choose, they get it right this time. They are at risk of looking amateurish - surely to run such a successful company they do not run all their businesses in this way.
If they do pull the plug on Lambert, it will leave many wondering whether Wolves are going to go down the path of failure, following so many other clubs with takeovers promising glory and newfound riches.
