The Spaniard has worked with the majority of his new group for the past month, at both Compton Park and in Marbella, and following the return of Raul Jimenez and Hee Chan Hwang recently, he’ll welcome back his Portuguese contingent from World Cup duty today. It means Jose Sa, Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes will be back with the group, which have the weekend and Monday to put in final preparations for the visit of Gillingham in the Carabao Cup – Lopetegui’s bow as Wolves boss.
On welcoming his full squad back
“I want this moment. It’s important that they return physically, but also mentality – they have to be here, and to be with a big commitment now with Wolves. Sometimes it’s not easy because I have lived the World Cup and it’s a very intensive time, they have to forget all this and to focus here, and to help us to be better.
“Now I have the chance to talk with Hee Chan and also with Raul, they have been working for the last days here, and on Friday, we will be joined by the Portuguese players too, so we are going to have all our players for us.”
On the upcoming transfer window
“We have to be very clear that the main actors are here, they are here, but after, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Of course, we want to improve our squad, we need to improve our squad, we have to be competitive.
“At the same time, we have to increase the confidence and the players have to believe in themselves, to show they are better players than they have shown at the moment, and they have to do their all to change the situation. We can help them, but the key moment is the players’ determination and commitment to change the situation.”
Curling in first time! 🎯@Raul_Jimenez9 👏 pic.twitter.com/lW5uNbEDBg
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 12, 2022
On his welcome behind the scenes
“We had a fantastic welcome from all the departments and we are very happy. It’s a very good organisation around all the departments and we were with a fantastic welcome three weeks ago and now we feel very happy.”
On settling into Wolverhampton
“A little bit. We stay in the hotel and the training ground, to the hotel, to the training ground, to the hotel. We have to choose a house to live and in the next weeks, my wife is coming to help me to translate myself to the house, but we have only tested two or three good restaurants, but of course, my first view in the city is that it’s a very fantastic city, of course.”
On preparing for Gillingham
“We are in the last week before the first match against Gillingham and I am excited for this, I want it a lot. At the same time, we have to be ready because it’s a very important match.
“It’s one competition, a cup competition, and we have to be ready because these kinds of matches are very dangerous, always, for all of the teams, and of course it’s our first step and our first match at Molineux, so we have to be ready.”
