A couple of days after steering Wolves impressively to survival last May, Julen Lopetegui hosted a small group of journalists in the players’ first-floor dining area at the club’s training base on the outskirts of Wolverhampton.
Lopetegui was charming company and as Edu Rubio, a member of his coaching team, poured the red wine, the former Spain and Real Madrid boss gave a fascinating insight into his journey from kitchen hand in his father’s restaurant to elite European coach.
The elephant in the room, however, was that Lopetegui was already agitated at Wolves’ shifting transfer policy.