Things to know about Bruno Lage
For the first time in four years Wolves are without a manager, and the search is now well underway for a new one.
That search has reportedly led them to Portuguese manager Bruno Lage, formerly of SL Benfica. The 45-year-old has been out of a job since leaving the Lisbon giants last summer and it now seems as though he's ready to get back in the managerial saddle.
But who is Lage and what can Wolves fans expect of him? We did the digging so you don't have to.
1. Coached all of Benfica's youth teams
Between 2004 and 2012, Lage managed every age group of Benfica's youth teams with great success.
He worked with the likes of Joao Felix, Gedson Fernandes, Florentino Luis and Ruben Dias as they worked towards the first-team during a second spell as reserve manager too,.
2. Was assistant manager at Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea
Before making the step up to become a first-team manager himself, Lage acted as the assistant coach to Carlos Carvalhal during their time in the Championship and Premier League.
He helped to organise training sessions, study opposition and develop attacking patterns before returning to Benfica as the reserve team coach.
3. Won the Primeira Liga title in his first season
After Benfica sacked Rui Vitoria in January 2020, Lage was promoted from reserve team manager to the first-team role on a caretaker basis.
He was made permanent just a few weeks later and overcame an eight point lead at the top of the Primeira Liga to lead Benfica to a record 37th title.
He couldn't have done it without promoting some of his B team players with him, who all performed admirably including 20-goal forward Joao Felix who earned himself a €126m move to Atletico Madrid because of his performances.
4. Broke a league points and goals record
Winning the league in his first half-season wasn't enough for Lage, he also did it in astonishing fashion.
During the 29 games he managed from January to the end of the season, Benfica scored 85 goals and conceded 27 while winning 18 of 19 in the league.
It was the best second half of a season in Liga NOS history and he also managed to beat all of Porto, Sporting CP and Braga away from home - the first time they had managed that since Sven-Goran Eriksson was in charge in 1990/91.
The goals his side scored took Benfica to 103 for the league campaign too, matching the all-time league record. What a campaign.
5. Plays exciting, attacking football
Unlike Nuno Espirito Santo, Lage prioritises attacking football more than anything else.
Using a 4-4-1-1 system for the most part, Lage encourages fast passing and wide play, with high quality, technical midfielders important to the setup.
The likes of Pedro Neto, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Adama Traore will likely be very key to the way he looks to play, with the Portuguese links likely to remain strong with his coaching background.