Wolves confirm Pereira as O´Neil´s successor

Wolves have confirmed the appointment of Vitor Pereira as the club’s new head coach.

The former Al-Shabab boss has signed an 18-month contract at Molineux, after Wolves agreed a compensation package with the Saudi Pro League side.

Pereira is the third Portuguese manager to take charge of the club, after Nuno Espirito Santo and Bruno Lage.

The 56-year-old replaces Gary O’Neil, who was sacked following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town, which left Wolves 19th in the Premier League table after 16 matches and five points from safety.

Pereira’s first match at the helm will be against fellow strugglers Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.

Chairman Jeff Shi said in a statement: “We are delighted to welcome Vitor Pereira to Wolves as the new head coach of our men’s first team.

“Vitor is a highly respected and experienced coach who has achieved success across different leagues and will bring a new approach for the test ahead.

“This is a challenging moment for the club, and we want to thank Vitor for taking on this responsibility.

“We have full confidence in his ability to guide us back on track, alongside the players and staff, and the entire club will be united in supporting him to achieve success.”

Welcome to Wolves, Vitor

— Wolves (@Wolves) December 19, 2024

Former Porto, Fenerbahce and Olympiacos coach Pereira brings a wealth of experience to the Molineux dugout.

He has won the league title in three different countries (Portugal, Greece and China), while also managing in Turkiye, Germany, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.

His most pressing task upon taking the reins will be to shore up a defence that has conceded 40 goals already in the Premier League this season, with Wolves requiring major improvements if they are to extend their stay among England’s elite.

Prior to this season, there had been 91 instances of a team changing manager while in the Premier League’s relegation zone, with 36 of those teams staying up.

Wolves were the most recent side to do so in 2022-23, with Julen Lopetegui keeping them up after taking charge with the team bottom of the table, four points off safety.