Wolves have just experienced some of their best moments in years, and it’s all thanks to Vitor Pereira, yet the scars from Gary O’Neil’s tenure remain.
O’Neil was sacked by Wolves in December after leaving them in deep trouble at the bottom of the Premier League table, collecting just two wins from his first 16 matches.
The Old Gold were four points from safety when Vitor Pereira replaced the Englishman, leaving the Portuguese with a difficult task of turning the season around.
Luckily, the Wanderers struck gold with the 56-year-old’s appointment, as Wolves have broken numerous records during his first five months at the club and skyrocketed up to 13th in the Premier League table.
The feeling around Molineux is now one of delight, but that wasn’t the case after Wolves’ 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town in the winter.
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Jeff Shi’s ‘lowest point’ at Wolves was in December 2024
O’Neil experienced a sour end to his time at the club. Rayan Ait-Nouri lost his head against Ipswich and Craig Dawson had to drag the Algerian off the pitch at full-time.
There were also high levels of ill-discipline shown by forward Matheus Cunha, who was suspended for two matches after clashing with a member of Ipswich’s security team and grabbing the glasses from his face.
The feeling of anger and a poor run of results suggested that O’Neil lost the dressing room, and he was subsequently sacked after the full-time whistle.
When looking back on this moment, it was written in a feature piece by Sky Sports that chairman Jeff Shi ‘privately’ described winter 2024 as the ‘lowest point in his nine years at Wolves‘, as they were teetering towards the Championship.
Shi’s feelings during that time were hardly a surprise, as Wolves were in danger of being embroiled in a relegation scrap, and it demonstrates how bad things really were under O’Neil.
Jeff Shi can be taken to his highest point at Wolves
Wolves are now on an upward trajectory under Pereira, with an increase in Premier League prize money on offer and the promise of big things incoming.
Pereira has already been compared to Nuno Espirito Santo, who led the Old Gold to successive Europa League campaigns, and the current boss will aim to do similar.
‘Big things’ are predicted by Pereira at Wolves, with a summer transfer window planting the seed of their future success.
Fosun must back the manager with a war chest of funds if they have ambitions of climbing into the top half next season, or even better, qualifying for Europe.
That includes holding onto their best players, too, as while Matheus Cunha is set to join Manchester United, a new contract is on the table for Rayan Ait-Nouri, and fresh deals have already been signed by Joao Gomes and Yerson Mosquera.
Should their best players remain and quality is signed across the pitch, there is every chance Wolves can become a force to be reckoned with, taking Shi to his highest point as chairman.