Revealed: Wolves held talks with Graham Potter last month and are actively seeking replacements for Gary O'Neil after fans turned on under-fire boss in thumping Everton defeat

Wolves are actively sounding out replacements for Gary O’Neil and are believed to have held tentative conversations with Graham Potter last month.

O’Neil’s position is hanging by a thread after the humiliating 4-0 defeat at Everton on December 4 that saw angry fans turn on the manager and his players.

Wolves’ next match is at West Ham on Monday and at the moment, the main thing keeping O’Neil in his role is the lack of a suitable replacement. When the talks with Potter happened, it is thought the former Brighton and Chelsea boss was unconvinced Wolves had the tools to stay out of the Championship, with limited room for manoeuvre in the January transfer window.

As doubts surround O’Neil, he was on Thursday named manager of the month for November. Asked whether he would be in charge at the London Stadium, O’Neil said: ‘I can only keep going until it changes. I took training this morning.

‘I am not concerned about my future one bit, only the club’s future. I knew the size of the task when I took over and since then it’s got even more difficult with players we’ve lost.

‘You won’t find anyone more professional and hard-working than me. We are getting ready for West Ham. I know how much it means to the fans. They give a lot of time and money to support the club.

Tentative talks are believed to have been held with former Chelsea manager Graham Potter 

‘The players definitely have the courage and fight. At some point in a game the lads have to find a way to deal with it.’

Even though Wolves managed to claim wins over Southampton and Fulham in November, as well as drawing with Brighton and Crystal Palace, O’Neil’s stock plummeted again as his side conceded eight goals in two games to Bournemouth and Everton.

Mail Sport understands the hierarchy have been assessing potential new managers since before the November international break and it is thought there were initial discussions with Potter.

Like Potter, David Moyes was sounded out by Leicester before they appointed Ruud van Nistelrooy and given the 61-year-old’s track record, he would be an attractive option for Wolves. Yet Moyes was not convinced by the Leicester role and he may feel the same way about the job at Molineux too.

Though O’Neil and his staff were handed improved four-year contracts last summer, the compensation package is thought to be roughly the same as would have been the case under the original three-year deal the 41-year-old signed when replacing Julen Lopetegui in August 2023.

Wolves’ form fell away badly in the second half of last season amid an injury crisis and captain Max Kilman was sold to West Ham during the summer, while Pedro Neto – the club’s best attacking player – moved to Chelsea.

Those sales generated about £100m but Wolves failed to sign the Premier League-quality centre-back O’Neil wanted and Neto’s effective replacement, Rodrigo Gomes, has not been deemed ready to start regularly by O’Neil.