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When Gary O’Neil walked into Wolves a year ago last Friday, expectations were low.

Some 12 months on he signed a new four-year contract and was about to lose star man Pedro Neto for a record £54m to Chelsea but now he has the chance to shape the squad and the club.

Wolves will reinvest some of that money, with the deal confirmed on Sunday, into the team and give O'Neil a further platform for progress.

He arrived just days before the start of last season and had to win over a large percentage of fans, some called him a PE teacher because of his attire on the touchline.

His appearance on Monday Night Football on Sky Sports in October, giving insight and video detail about how Wolves beat former club Bournemouth and Manchester City, earned deserved respect from the Molineux terraces and beyond. It changed the outside perception of him.

An excellent communicator, the squad bought into his methods quickly and it paid off. But for incorrect VAR and refereeing calls, confirmed by the Key Match Incidents panel which reviews decisions, in the first half of the season Wolves would have been in early European contention.

How O’Neil initially handled them - and his squad's reaction - also also earned credit, although he admitted his emotions got the better of him after Max Kilman’s leveller was ruled out against West Ham in April, leading to a touchline ban.

Wolves' 14th place finish last season was a disappointment, given they fell away from the European places, but after a year at the helm and with a new deal, O'Neil can push Wolves forward.