Wolves are on the prowl for a new boss after dispensing with the services of Bruno Lage on Sunday - less than 24 hours after they slipped into the Premier League relegation zone following a 2-0 defeat at West Ham.
Lage had been heavily scrutinised heading into the crunch clash at the London Stadium following a run of just one win in 14 matches. And the Portuguese chief, who was heavily backed in the transfer market this summer, has now paid the ultimate price for Wolves' lacklustre start to the season.
But where next for the Molineux hierarchy? With Lage now out of the picture, the Midlands outfit are believed to be hopeful of appointing a new boss before this weekend's trip to Chelsea. Here, Mirror Football looks at five names who could be in the frame for the job...
Ruben Amorim
Amorim is one of the most highly-rated coaches in Europe and is the current betting favourite to replace Lage. The Sporting CP manager has won plenty of plaudits after guiding the Portuguese outfit to their first league title in 19 years during his first full year in charge.
The 37-year-old became one of the most expensive managers in football after Sporting shelled out a whopping €10 million (£8.65m) to prise him away from Braga. And Amorim has been heavily linked with Premier League roles before and was recently sounded out by Chelsea following Thomas Tuchel's exit.
Amorim, who plays in the same 3-4-3 shape that Wolves have adopted in recent years, recently insisted that he is "happy" in Lisbon - but he is likely to feature prominently on Wolves' wishlist. And the Molineux hierarchy could decide to move for another Portuguese after appointing both Lage and Nuno Espirito Santo.
Julen Lopetegui
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Lopetegui is another coach who was linked with a move to the Premier League not too long ago. The Sevilla chief was heavily rumoured to be under consideration for the Manchester United job earlier this year before the Red Devils plumped for Erik ten Hag.
But now the 56-year-old is fighting to keep his job in Spain following a disastrous start to the La Liga campaign. Lopetegui is a client of Jorge Mendes, who is expected to feature prominently in the recruitment process. And that could see Wolves rekindle their interest in Lopetegui, who previously managed the Spanish national team.
Paulo Fonseca
Fonseca is another boss who has been persistently linked to the Premier League over the past 12 months - and the current Lille boss could himself in the frame for the new vacancy at Molineux.
The 49-year-old has endured an indifferent start to France, with Lille already 12 points off the pace in Ligue 1. But Fonseca has a winning pedigree and guided Shakhtar Donetsk to three consecutive league titles during his impressive three-year stint in Ukraine.
Fonseca is another Mendes client - and that means that the former AS Roma chief is a name that is more than likely going to be discussed by the Wolves hierarchy.
Ange Postecoglou
Postecoglou has emerged as an unlikely candidate for the top job at Molineux following his sterling work at Celtic.
The Greek-Australian coach was appointed by Celtic last summer after the Scottish giants failed to land Eddie Howe. And Postecoglou has gone on to make at seismic impact at the club, who won the domestic double back in May.
But with Postecoglou out of contract next summer, other clubs have taken note of the 57-year-old's fine work in Scotland. The former Australia chief has already been linked to Leicester City, while his name has also been mentioned as a long-term successor to Liverpool chief Jurgen Klopp.
Sean Dyche
If Wolves do decide to part with their recent approach and move away from Mendes' clients, then Dyche could bring some Premier League nous to the Molineux dugout.
The former Burnley chief has been away from the game since he was axed by the Turf Moor hierarchy back in April.
But Dyche's stock is still high after he guided the Clarets to five respectable top-flight finishes prior to their relegation last year - and he would more than likely be available at short notice.
