Hobbs replaces Sellars as Wolves Sporting Director

Hobbs joined Wolves in 2015 as scout for the south west of England

Hobbs joined Wolves in 2015 as scout for the south west of England

MATT HOBBS has been promoted from Chief Scout and Head of Recruitment to replace Scott Sellars as Sporting Director at Wolves.

Sellars has left the Premier League club after eight years. The former Blackburn and Newcastle midfielder joined the club in 2014 as Under-21s boss and went on to become Head of Development Care, Academy Manager and, from January 2021, Technical Director.

However, he has now paid the price for the club’s poor start to the season, with Wolves lying bottom of the Premier League after 15 games.

Hobbs joined the club in 2015 as scout for the south-west of England and has gone on to become Head of Emerging Talent, Head of Academy Recruitment, Chief Scout and, from February this year, Chief Scout and Head of Recruitment.

Hobbs will now “take on the management of the sporting and performance departments at the club,” Wolves said.

This will include “the support staff around the men’s first-team and development teams such as coaching, medical, analysis and recruitment” and “ensuring the continued success and progress of the Wolves Academy and women and girls' programmes.”

Former Real Madrid and Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui was appointed Wolves boss at the start of the month, although he is yet to take charge of a match because of the break for the World Cup.

Wolves Chairman Jeff Shi said: “I am delighted to confirm Matt in the role of Sporting Director - he has all the characteristics to be very successful in the position and has done an excellent job building and developing the recruitment teams at Wolves, both the Academy and first-team.

“Matt has excellent management, team-building and communication skills, and has already found a very good synergy with Julen and his team. I know he will be a be able to bring departments closer together, set very high standards and give our new coaching team the best possible platform for success.

“The last few months have shown the need for us to take a look at what hasn’t been working, assess and make some smart changes. We have had a shake up and this is now a fresh start - the past has gone and we only look forward and upward.”

Shi also paid tribute to the work of Sellars.

“Scott has been a big influence at Wolves in my time at the club, and you can see from his elevation through different departments and roles how highly we think of him,” he said.

“A football person through and through, with exceptional experience in the game as a player and a coach, Scott brought that with him to work every day and used it to improve the next generation of young footballers.

“On behalf of everyone at the club I would like to say thank you to Scott, and wish him the very best of luck for the future.”

Hobbs added: “I am honoured to be made sporting director at this incredible football club. This is an exciting time for Wolves and, with our world-class management team now in place, I am very positive about where we can take the club collectively.

“I have daily conversations with Julen and his team about how we can help the club grow and achieve long-term success, and I am looking forward to helping us make our ambitions a reality.”

PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS WITH SPORTING DIRECTOR (OR EQUIVALENT)

  • Arsenal: Sporting Director - Edu
  • Aston Villa: Sporting Director - Johan Lange
  • Bournemouth: Technical Director - Richard Hughes; Assistant Technical Director - Simon Francis
  • Brentford: Director of Football - Phil Giles
  • Brighton: Technical Director - David Weir; Assistant Technical Director: Mick Cave
  • Chelsea: Technical Director - Laurence Stewart
  • Crystal Palace: Sporting Director - Dougie Freedman
  • Everton: Director of Football - Kevin Thelwell
  • Fulham: Director of Football Operations - Tony Khan
  • Leeds United: Director of Football - Victor Orta
  • Leicester City: Director of Football - Jon Rudkin
  • Liverpool: Sporting Director - Julian Ward
  • Manchester City: Director of Football - Txiki Begiristain
  • Manchester United: Football Director- John Murtough, Assistant Football Director - Andy O’Boyle
  • Newcastle United: Sporting Director - Dan Ashworth
  • Nottingham Forest: Director of Football - Kyriakos Dourekas
  • Southampton: Director of Football Operations - Matt Crocker
  • Tottenham: Managing Director, Football - Fabio Paratici
  • West Ham: Sporting Director - Mark Noble
  • Wolves: Sporting Director - Matt Hobbs

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