Wolves’ chairman Jeff Shi and sporting director Matt Hobbs speaks on the future of Fosun’s ownership, plan, engagement, and commitment.
They’ve spoke in an exclusive interview with Telegraph Sport with Wolverhampton Wanderers currently sitting bottom of the Premier League table, their worst start to a season since 2003.
This comes as Gary O’Neil’s side get set to host Liverpool on Saturday evening, on the back of four defeats from five Premier League matches.
Now, Telegraph Sport have been given an opportunity to get much needed information from chairman Jeff Shi, as well as sporting director Matt Hobbs, after fans expressed frustration at owners Fosun in recent times.
Special report on #Wolves, bottom of the table but a club united. Exclusive interview with Jeff Shi & Matt Hobbs on a number of subjects:
🐺 Wolves & PSR
🐺 Not replacing Max Kilman
🐺 Fosun long-term plan & ambitions
🐺 Investment
🐺 Faith in Gary O’Neilhttps://t.co/2x2hr80tyU— John Percy (@JPercyTelegraph) September 27, 2024
On PSR:
Jeff Shi: “PSR is something that we’ve always kept an eye on and we have never been close to the line.
“We have never been panicking enough to do something to avoid breaking the rules. We’ve never had a situation where we have had one month or three weeks to agree a deal. Never.
“It’s not been a massive challenge for us and, for Wolves, player trading is more about whether we let them leave or not, for sporting or financial reasons.”
Matt Hobbs: “If PSR is an issue for a football club, it shows you’ve got your planning wrong. We’d be disappointed in ourselves if PSR was ever an issue.
“It’s a rule you have to stick to and we run a strategy to make sure we never get anywhere crossing that line.”
No replacement for Kilman:
MH: “Externally, some fans may feel we’ve left ourselves short. It’s actually completely married up towards what our plan was at the start of the summer.
“Playing four at the back, we’re not going to carry five centre-backs. No club of our level would.
“We had high hopes in Yerson and keeping a fifth senior centre-back happy would have been hard. With Max leaving, and Yerson coming in, we were perfectly comfortable with how that looked.
“You can look at goals conceded this season and say we didn’t replace Max but we had a poor run at the end of last season [with Kilman playing every game].
“That wasn’t Max’s fault, just like it’s not Yerson’s fault this season. We also have a strategy here where we like to have a young player in there to get them ready.
“We’ve done it before with Pedro [Neto], when we had [Diogo] Jota and Adama [Traore], and when Joao [Gomes] came in to sit under Mario [Lemina], Ruben [Neves] and Joao Moutinho. That is our model and it’s why we signed Bastien [Meipiyou, from Nantes].
“Even if we’d signed another one, and we were looking, Santiago Bueno would have gone out on loan for regular football.”
Engagement with owners:
Jeff Shi: “Fosun has never been an owner to spend for fun. It is not in their nature or character.
“They always try to invest where necessary, to give the club a leadership team and foundation, but also empower the team here.
“The plan is to combine intelligence and teamwork, together with the cash injection, to build something for the long-term. That is always the way for the chairman, owner and group.
“We have been speaking with groups about minority investment and there is plenty of interest.
“We have to find the right people aligned with us. The valuation, terms, and how we work together for Wolves’ long-term future is all important.
“We are in a very active process now to have more investors to join us.”
Long term plan:
JS: “I think the long-term plan is to make the club more influential, and bigger, with a larger fanbase around the world.
“To reach that goal we have to remain competitive in the Premier League and try to win something. Being competitive on the pitch is not enough, so you have to try something else.
“We are working with the city to try to make Wolverhampton more dynamic, where people can enjoy living here and being entertained here.
“In China, on social media we are perhaps in the top-four followings in the Premier League. In the UK it’s impossible because you have the ‘Big-Six’.
“That’s more because in China we have more people who know us. It is about making ourselves more influential around the world – the more people are aware of you, you have a chance to be bigger on the pitch.
“It’s about being consistent on and off the pitch for ten years. I focus more on the long-term growth than a short-term win.
“We all want to win something. Winning the league will require a lot of luck but winning trophies or getting into Europe is imaginable.
“I don’t remember many seasons when we’ve been far away from Europe. We were always close and have also gone very far in the FA Cup. It has to be our target because that is what sport is all about.”
Trust in O’Neil:
Matt Hobbs: “Like all of us, Gary is obviously disappointed with the results and expects more.
“Sometimes as a head coach you can look at other clubs, like down the road at Villa and what they’ve spent, but he understands what we’re trying to do.
“He is so aligned to Jeff and I, and what our plan is. I’ve been really impressed with his work ethic and his humility.
“The whole football club has to find ways of supporting Gary and his staff, to find that extra 15 per cent they’re looking for.
“There’s been individual mistakes and some stuff we would change, but we’ve played all the big teams and not been tactically outplayed.”
JS: “The nature of our jobs is to find a way to improve and do better in the next game. We are moving forward with the plan and everyone knows their roles.
“It’s not a time to be over-optimistic or negative. It’s a normal time, like in any season, and from our point of view this is all going to plan and we must not deviate.”
Togetherness:
MH: “We’re way stronger fighting for the same cause – that’s when Wolverhampton is at its strongest.
“We are way more intimidating and more dangerous as a club when we’re all united.
“It’s so important the fans understand what we’re trying to do and buy into it.
“Everyone here is trying to give the fans a team to be proud of. I hope they understand how important they are on a matchday.”
Here’s what fans are saying as Wolves’ Jeff Shi and Matt Hobbs speaks on the future of Fosun’s ownership, plan, engagement, commitment…
@xGJHP: WOW. How have you managed to find him?
@avfcbreaking: Rivalry aside, the performance against Villa showed the team were fighting for each other and the manager and the fans! Some teams at the bottom fall apart and it shows but Wolves players at least seem to care about the battle which is a major part of the fight!
@molineuxman1977: Maybe bottom of the league with one point but we are the 4th most searched up team in China so suddenly things don’t seem quite so bad #wwfc
@shewardjon1: Talk is cheap….
@WolvesChants24: Disappointing to hear they aren’t looking to sell again but like I’ve always maintained, if we were put up for sale there’d be huge interest. Just another article of made up lies and deceit from Shi and some of Hobbs’ comments are a concern too. #WWFC #Wolves
@WhiskyLobos: Nothing to see here but lies and sycophancy #wwfc
@Russt_29: The defence was poor already and we weakened it further. But that was the plan all along according to Hobbs …. He’s either deluded, or I suspect towing the line for Jeff #wwfc #fosunout
@hairbear67: Can there be some challenge to the drivel coming out or are we yet again being spoon fed to appease the growing disdain at the owenership. and anyhting on ticket prices???????
@RobJamesMorris: Devastated to learn that @Fosun_Intl have no plans to sell the club #wwfc
@JB_F1_: Same old bollocks from Jeff… caring more about the tourists than actual fans… get to fuck you cunt #wwfc
@_KKWWFC: Still baffles me that a sizeable chunk of the fanbase still accepts Jeff Shi’s/Fosun’s bullshit as gospel. Can lead a horse to water, I guess
@Beds72: Jeff Shi is 100% on the crack pipe
@CallumD_4: Death, taxes and Jeff Shi chatting shit and lying after the end of the transfer window
@CJ_7171: Can’t read it but if you’ve got faith in O’Neil then you really are a bunch of clueless, incompetent crooks like I’ve said all along. He’s a dead man walking taking us to the championship with a whimper. What’s the ambition? To become a midtable championship club? #wwfc #fosunout
@zachary_garber: Appalling people who have ripped the piss out of its fans. Don’t appear to have any footballing knowledge either.
@jamiewalters23: Jeff Shi talking absolute BS, bloke contradicts himself everytime he speaks, one minute we’re on the edge of PSR the next we’ve never been close. He’s lied consistently from day one when he backed Jackett and then sacked him. Problem is Hobbs is starting to talk nonsense now 🤦🏻♂️
@finchy_84: Jeff Shi and Matt Hobbs talk absolute shite! Fuck em both!!!! If Hobbs thinks our centre back choices when we intended to play a back 4 are acceptable he needs a new job. 🤡
Telling quotes from Jeff Shi & Matt Hobbs in the Telegraph. Clarifying once & for all that, whatever has been said previously, the financial restrictions placed on Wolves have come from the owners, Fosun, rather than pressures of adhering to Premier League rules. #WWFC pic.twitter.com/vXhsE9IcWS
— Alex Richards (@AA_Richards) September 27, 2024
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