Jeff Shi and Matt Hobbs sat down with the telegraph to discuss Fosun's commitment to wolves and THEIR ambition.
Fans’ have long been expressing concerns regarding the club’s future and finances. Jeff Shi and Matt Hobbs address these concerns in an interview with The Telegraph and make it clear that the ownership isn’t backing away. Instead, they’re forging plans to stabilise and propel Wolves forward. At a time when results on the pitch suggest unrest might seem justified, understanding the broader vision from the top might just be the news supporters seek. With a focus on long-term growth and synergy, the journey ahead, though rough, holds promise.
Does the club have PSR concerns?
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.”
Why was Kilman not replaced?
MATT HOBBS: “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.”
Are the owners still committed?
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.”
What is the long-term plan?
JEFF SHI: “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.”
After reaching the last eight of the FA Cup last year, and the semi-finals under Nuno Espirito Santo in April 2019, Shi says there is an ultimate goal.
“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.”
Is there still trust in Gary 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.”
JEFF SHI “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.”
in summary
Jeff Shi seems to grasp the importance of communicating the club’s and owners’ vision to fans. It’s clear he sees the value in explaining what’s happening behind the scenes and sharing the long-term goals Fosun has for the club. By doing so, he hopes to brings fans closer and fosters a sense of trust and inclusion. This level of transparency is important to address concerns supporters might have about the direction the club is heading.
We have been aware that Fosun have been looking for investment for sometime and Jeff Shi’s comments align with Always Wolves understanding that the sale of a minority share could be close. Hopefully this investment can boost the club and be invested wisely to move Wolves forward.
Jeff and Matt both affirm their confidence in Gary O’Neil as Wolves manager despite a run of poor results. O’Neil,praised by some as a top manager last season, signed a new four-year deal in August. He revived a struggling team after a tough pre-season under former coach Lopetegui, even raising hopes for European qualification. Opta reported that O’Neil has had the hardest opening fixtures in the Premier League, with losses to Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Villa. After facing Liverpool, they’ll have more promising matches against teams like Brentford and Crystal Palace.