Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Gary O'Neil has revealed the reason why he rejected a return to manage Wolves this week, while appearing live on Sky Sports. Wolves sacked Vitor Pereira last week after defeat to Fulham left them winless ten games into the Premier League season, and former manager O'Neil was the club's first-choice option to replace the Portuguese boss. Despite holding talks, however, O'Neil opted to withdraw from the process during talks over personal terms, and now Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards is expected to take over at Molineux imminently, with a deal already agreed between clubs. Gary O'Neil: Wolves Return Wasn't Right Fit O'Neil was appearing as a pundit live on Sky Sports for Wolves' clash against Chelsea on Saturday night, and following their 3-0 defeat, he was asked by host David Jones about the interest from his former side in a return to the dugout. While the 42-year-old admitted that he held talks with the club hierarchy and that he still loved the club, he felt that it wasn't the right fit for him and that the job didn't tick all the boxes he's looking for before returning to management. "I spoke to the football club. It's a football club that I still have huge emotion for. I love the fan base, we had some very, very good times together, we had some tough moments. Great fans, loved my time there. Some people there that I'm very fond of. It just didn't feel like the right time, or the right fit for me at this moment. But a great club that someone is going to get hold of and going to have a right go this season, and try to build something with." "I've been very patient since I've come out. I've had conversations with lots of people at different clubs, and I want to make sure that we get the next one that feels right for me in this moment. There's a lot of things that go into that, and this week I decided that it wasn't right for me at this time. "Yeah [it would have felt strange going back]. Something like that, you look at how often it's happened. I worked for Harry Redknapp a bit and he jumped around Portsmouth, Southampton and back, and it's not done very often. But that's not something that put me off. The going back wasn't a problem. I back myself to do any role we go into next. But we have been patient for a reason. We're trying to find one that ticks some boxes for us, and this one wasn't it at this time." Wolves are bottom of the Premier League with just one point from their 11 games so far this season, but Edwards is expected to be in charge for their next outing after the international break, when they will host Crystal Palace at Molineux.
