Window of Change at Wolves

Matt Hobbs Exit Likely in Management Restructure

A management restructure is unfolding at Wolves as the club prepares for a significant summer in the transfer market. With Matheus Cunha’s departure soon to be followed by the sale of Rayan Ait-Nouri, there will be funds to strengthen the squad. Supporters will be relieved to know that Fosun fully intends to strengthen the squad where possible but, as previously mentioned on Football Unfiltered, there will likely be a return to a more fluid structure that characterised the early years of the conglomerate’s ownership.

Sporting director Matt Hobbs will not be leading the recruitment drive, with the role of sporting director set to be dissolved. Instead, head coach Vitor Pereira will be operating under a different landscape that maximises his own relationships within global football, and particularly Gestifute, as chairman Jeff Shi intends to capitalise on the impressive work of the Portuguese since his arrival.

Key to the summer activity will be the work of Gestifute’s Valdir Cardoso, as Pereira looks for reinforcements to a squad in need of significant improvements if Wolves are to avoid another season of struggle.

The structural change at the club will see Matt Jackson’s role as head of professional football development become one where he leads the negotiations of player incomings and outgoings. Hobbs, like several other key figures at this time of year, is currently away from Compton Park. The position of sporting director will be reshaped into a head of recruitment role as the club looks to give Pereira the players he needs to move forward, but it is not clear if Hobbs will be in that role going forward.

Like Kevin Thelwell and Scott Sellars before him, Hobbs knows that Wolves’ recent history under the current hierarchy means that changes will always be expected at some stage, regardless of performance. Jackson looks set to be the latest figurehead, but what is far more important is the calibre of player brought in as the club looks to do more than merely futureproof its Premier League status over the coming seasons.

Hobbs had been working on several deals but Jackson will now oversee negotiations over the summer period. Wolves have always had an edge through their relationship with Gestifute and it will be fascinating to see how much this structural shift alters the make-up of the squad for the 2025-26 season.