Bruno Lage's exit could go either way for Hwang Hee-chan

Bruno Lage watches Wolverhampton Wanderers take on West Ham at London Stadium in London on Saturday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Wolverhampton Wanderers sacked head coach Bruno Lage on Sunday as the club dropped into relegation territory with their fourth loss of the season on Saturday.

Portuguese manager Lage joined Wolves in June last year after Nuno Esperito Santo left the club.

His time at the helm at Molineux started off well, with Wolves at one point reaching sixth in the Premier League, but dropped off suddenly, with just six wins in 25 games so far this year.

“Wolves have parted company with head coach Bruno Lage,” the club said in a statement. “We would like to thank Bruno and his coaching team for their efforts during their time at the club and wish them the very best for the future.”

The club is currently being led by coaches Steve Davis and James Collins until a new manager can be appointed.

Lage’s time at the helm saw Wolves sign Korean players Hwang Hee-chan and Jeong Sang-bin, with Jeong immediately loaned to Grasshopper Club Zürich.

Hwang’s arrival at Wolves last season, initially on loan and then later as a signee, made him the second Korean player currently active in the Premier League, alongside Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min.

Hwang started his Premier League career well, scoring four times in his first six appearances, but his performance dropped off about a year ago and he has only managed one goal since then, on Feb. 24.

That long dry spell has seen the Korean midfielder slip from regular starter to the bench, with even a few minutes on the pitch increasingly unlikely these days.
Hwang sat out the most recent game against West Ham on Saturday, after returning from international duty with an injury.

“[Hwang] returned from international duty with an adductor muscle strain,” the club said in a statement. “It is not severe, but he is still being assessed and we will release a further update soon.”

The jury is still out on whether Lage’s departure is likely to be good or bad news for Hwang.

The rapid decline in Hwang’s performance shortly after joining Wolves suggests that Lage’s management style did not work for him, although whether another manager would be able to stop that freefall is unclear.

At the same time, Lage is seen by some punters as having sheltered Hwang throughout his slump, insisting that the Korean forward would be back on form soon and keeping him in the squad far more than he deserved.

Ex-Olympiakos manager Pedro Martins is reported to be among the front runners to take over as Wolves manager.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]