Liam Keen comment: What could the future hold for Wolves amid restructure?

Sporting director Matt Hobbs has left the club and his responsibilities have been spread across a restructure that firmly has five members of a new leadership group underneath chairman Jeff Shi, who makes all final decisions.

Hobbs' departure was mutual and with a heavy heart from both the club and the individual and Wolves now move in a different direction. It is fascinating to see what the future may hold this summer.

Shi is overseeing the new top table, who are running the football department at the club across several different specialties, in an effort to make their work more efficient and effective.

The most interesting addition to that group is Domenico Teti, who arrives with the title of director of professional football.

Although he has experience in European football, the Italian does not have experience in the Premier League and it remains to be seen what impact he will have at Wolves.

However, having worked with head coach Vitor Pereira at Saudi Arabian club Al Shabab, Teti's arrival offers Pereira a familiar and trustworthy face.

It allows Pereira to work with someone on a daily basis that he has full faith in, while Teti can also be part of communicating Pereira's messages and ideas to people at the club.

At every club there is a power struggle, however big or small, that managers face. Pereira has his own targets when it comes to recruitment and Teti may help talking to potential signings and their agents, but Wolves are still in the early stages of this new structure and exactly how it will work it yet to be determined.

But as Pereira pushes for what he wants, having Teti by his side will only benefit him. Wolves are also keen to work with the Italian and provide Pereira with the tools to succeed.

Officially leading the recruitment department, heading up scouts and dealing with player negotiations is Matt Jackson, who has been elevated to the role of director of player recruitment and development. This will also include work with the academy and Wolves Women.

Jackson is a respected member of the team at Wolves, who has risen through the ranks since his arrival in 2021, which was briefly interrupted by an eight-month spell at Swiss side Grasshoppers.

The recruitment team will continue to put together suggestions and lists of potential signings, while Pereira will have a big say on players coming in and Shi will sign off on incomings.

Wolves continue to have a strong relationship with Jorge Mendes and his Gestifute agency, who represent Pereira and also this summer's first signing Fer Lopez.

How much Wolves rely on him for business and how seriously they take suggestions from the scouts remains to be seen and will become more evident as the transfer window develops.

In addition, the future of the self sustaining model at Wolves is uncertain.

It is understood there is a desire from Wolves to avoid another relegation battle and that it has been very difficult to operate with a net transfer profit every year, but the amount of money owners Fosun are willing to invest remains to be seen.

The fact they are willing to spend £19.5million on Lopez, a player that is expected to be given some time to adapt, could hint at a higher net spend but Wolves must still remain within the rules.

What is likely, is that Wolves are done with their major sales. Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri have departed and players on the periphery are expected to join them, but bringing players in is now the focus.

The rest of the football leadership team is made up of Phil Hayward, Matt Wild and Max Fitzgerald.

Hayward has been promoted to director of performance, focusing on sports science, psychology and player health and wellbeing.

Wild's role as director of football operations and administration has not been impacted, while Fitzgerald has the title of PR and communications director, focused on media relations, internal communications and 'cross-club alignment'.

That alignment within the club will be essential to keeping everyone on the same page, while internal communication is equally as important as Wolves aim to be a more cohesive unit moving forward.

A big part of this change will also mean conversations are not passed down and instead the relevant people are in the room as they attempt to run a successful football club. That can only help with communication moving forward.

The future could be bright and will undoubtedly be engrossing - but they must get this summer right to avoid another season at the wrong end of the Premier League table.