Express & Star

Wolves have 'no intention' of leaving Molineux

Managing director Laurie Dalrymple has confirmed Wolves have 'no intention' of leaving Molineux – as he tempered expectations for the season ahead.

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Wolves today kick off their first Premier League campaign since 2011/12 ahead home to Everton.

The MD says Wolves are 'massively excited' about being back in the big time – but wants to keep a 'one game at a time' mentality in terms of progress.

"Everyone should be feeling that this is a hugely optimistic moment in this football club," Dalrymple said.

"This is the biggest league in world football and we feel we deserve to be here – we're massively excited about Saturday.

"We don't want to pin ourselves down to specific objectives – the simple mandate is every single time we start a season, or take to the field, or come to work, we're taking this football club forward.

"We take it one game, one month, one season at a time.

"All the work we've been doing for 18 months in terms of engaging with fans...we've got such a strong, young dynamic squad, a brilliant coaching team and the most amazing fanbase that has massively got behind this club.

"Everything's in such a great place and we're really looking forward to seeing how well we do."

The debate over whether Wolves should leave Molineux to fulfil their ambitions rumbled on all of last week after chairman Jeff Shi said a decision would have to be made on the stadium's future.

Dalrymple said: "We've been here for 140 years, we've got no intention of seeking to move.

"We've been in consultation with the council and our neighbours for quite some time now and those conversations are moving very well (around developing Molineux).

"We'd want to be in a position whereby we think by next summer we're making a start on how we want to develop this stadium.

"Our full focus now turns to building ourself a new home.

"The important point to make is our objective is to stay at Molineux.

"You only have to look around the stadium – and even when it's empty you can feel the atmosphere.

"We've no intention to lose that, or that feeling within the club and the fanbase.

"We're doing everything we can to build a model of a stadium that allows us to stay here.

"Our ambition is to take this club where it's in a position regularly having an attendance of 50,000, 55,000 and possibly more into this stadium is where we feel we're going to take this club in the short-to-medium term.

"I'm confident we can do that in our existing home."