Why Wolves are Right to Consider Erik Ten Hag as New Manager

Erik Ten Hag is being considered by Wolves to become their new manager this season.

The Dutchman is on the hunt for redemption following what was a nightmare stint at Bayer Leverkusen where he was given a measly three matches before he was bulleted.

In Germany he won once, drew another and lost just one match but that form was not enough to keep him in the role.

There were, of course, other circumstances which worked against the Dutchman in that time period, but it is safe to say he was not given a fair crack of the whip at Leverkusen, who hired Kaspur Hjulmand, and he is due another shot in the dugout.

Ten Hag is a qualified coach with plenty of experience at the top level in both England and his home country even if his time in Germany did not quite work out.

Wolves next manager candidate Erik Ten Hag and why he might suit

Wolves, meanwhile, are on the lookout for a new manager having sacked Vitor Pereira with the club sitting rock bottom of the Premier League table without a win in their opening 10 matches.

It is one of the worst runs in Premier League history with only three teams over the past number of years having worse starting records behind them in Sheffield United and Norwich City.

Pereira had been handed a new deal at Molineux which looked premature considering their early season form.

And he was unable to improve his squad’s performances or win rate which ultimately cost the Portuguese coach his job.

Ten Hag is now among the frontrunners for the gig while other bosses are in the race including Robbie Keane who is working with Ferencvaros right now and Gary O’Neil.

But we at FootballBlog reckon the board are right to consider ETH and here’s why…

Erik Ten Hag at Ajax

Ten Hag’s impressive Ajax side were the quintessential Dutch outfit under their former manager between 2017 and 2022.

The football he had the country’s giants playing within that timeframe was exciting, energetic, impactful and intense and he guided them to six trophies in that spell.

Ajax were a rampant source of success in the Eredivisie in ETH’s spell and from 215 total matches he was able to win a staggering 159 of them according to Transfermarkt.

Only 29 games were lost and 27 drawn and his side loved finding the back of the net with a whopping 593 strikes in those matches.

Defensively they were solid enough, too, with only 184 goals conceded which averages at less than one per match.

His points per match came in at 2.34 and that was in all competitions including the Champions League where he had a solid record there, too.

In just Europe’s elite competition, ETH played 32 matches with Ajax and won 17. Seven were drawn while he lost eight of those games and he took the club to the semi-final where they famously lost late on to Tottenham Hotspur.

His stats and standing in the game at that time is what earned him the move to Manchester United.

Manchester United form under Ten Hag

Erik Ten Hag’s time at Manchester United may be considered a failure by some, but the stats say otherwise.

At least in terms of winners’ medals, the Dutchman has more in his cabinet from his time at Old Trafford than most do since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club all the way back in 2013.

Ten Hag lifted the FA Cup with the Red Devils and was also the runner up in that tournament the year previously.

His United side also beat Newcastle in the Carabao Cup Final in 2023 which almost landed him a Double despite critics complaining that he had not done enough.

Granted in the Premier League, Ten Hag’s record could have been better.

In his two seasons United finished third in 2023 – 23w, 6d, 9l – and then eighth – 18w, 6d, 14l – and he would ultimately be handed his jotters in 2024.

But overall he managed United in 128 matches, winning 72 of them, losing 36 times and securing 20 draws.

They scored a total of 234 goals and shipped 180.

Ten Hag redemption arc

Respect, as they say, is earned and Ten Hag has definitely earned it in his 13 years in management.

Results differ, systems don’t work at one club when they did elsewhere and players can create different situations for a boss to deal with on any given day.

For Ten Hag he has handled massive clubs – United at the top – as best as he could and dealt with the daily and constant pressure with grace.

That’s one reason why punters questioned Leverkusen’s decision to hire and fire their former gaffer within a few short weeks before releasing details as to why through media outlets.

It was claimed Ten Hag did not get along with any of his players or staff which sparked trouble while he also was accused of “interfering” with transfer plans and proposing only players from his own agency, SEG.

His training style was not well received, there was a “cold” atmosphere around the club and results were poor. All valid reasons to sack a manager, but not after three matches.

He has shown he can win and do it well and if Wolves opt to take the chance on the 55-year-old, he will surely see it as an opportunity to clear his name in England from being considered a flop.

Other coaches on Wolves manager shortlist

Wolves are a big club – despite what Vitor Pereira said recently – and still play Premier League football which at the end of the day is the biggest pull they’ve got.

So big name managers will surely be gunning for the role.

Former player Keane, as mentioned above, has been listed as a contender while the Irishman is also seemingly on Celtic’s radar.

Brendan Rodgers resigned at Celtic earlier this season and he could be in the frame but there’s another boss who was perhaps a surprise candidate to take the reins.

Former manager Gary O’Neil could be in line for a stunning return despite being sacked last year following poor results of his own.

That might signal a step backwards for Wolves but according to multiple outlets, it is definitely one route the club are considering going down.

Rob Edwards at Middlesbrough is also a contender.