10 years at Wolves: The rise and fall of chairman Jeff Shi

Wolves enjoyed a return to the Premier League and sustained success under him and owners Fosun, until a period of decline now leaves the club in a mess.

Shi managed just under 10 years at Wolves and his tenure brought mixed results.

Mediocre start

When Fosun first bought the club in 2016, and Shi walked through the doors at Molineux, it was not all plain sailing from the start.

They inherited a club led by Kenny Jackett, who masterminded the League One winning season before finishing seventh in the Championship the season after and missing out on the play-offs by goal difference.

It initially appeared he might stay in charge, but just a week after Fosun bought the club and a week before the season started, Jackett was sacked.

Wolves had just finished 14th in the Championship when Fosun took over and they splashed the cash initially as Walter Zenga was brought in.

But he lasted just 87 days before receiving his marching orders and his career since proves he was not at the level required for Wolves.

Paul Lambert came in and did enough to keep Wolves in the league, eventually finishing 15th, and achieved a memorable 2-1 win at Liverpool in the FA Cup.

"We believe the club and the fans belong at the top of English football and getting there is our first and top priority," Shi said.

That rush to get promoted was evident as Lambert was also sacked in the summer of 2017 and Nuno Espirito Santo was brought in - as Fosun's first year in charge ended with three managers fired and three hired.

Promotion highs

It was the second year where Fosun and Shi found proper success at Wolves.

The relationship with Gestifute super agent Jorge Mendes had already begun with the arrival of players like Helder Costa and Ivan Cavaleiro the year before.

But the summer of 2017 saw Ruben Neves' arrival for £15million, which sparked a remarkable run of recruitment that propelled Wolves into huge Championship spenders and favourites for promotion.