Wolves fans are optimistic about the future under Vitor Pereira.
2024/25 was a rollercoaster season that saw the Portuguese come to Wanderers’ rescue, after Gary O’Neil had the team in the relegation zone at Christmas.
Things were looking very bleak six months ago, with the team failing to win games of football while losing their discipline as well.
But Pereira succeeded O’Neil, and had an impact hardly anyone saw coming.
He kept Wolves in the Premier League with five games to spare, finishing on 42 points.
Pereira now wants to push on at Wolves, and has already made it clear publicly that the squad needs reinforcements.
And he will get a say in recruitment, after Wolves instigated a restructure recently that saw Matt Hobbs leave the club. Domenico Teti is expected to come as a new technical director, and Pereira will work closely with agent Jorge Mendes and Valdir Cardoso.
The goal is to bring back the good times, which there haven’t been too many of since Nuno Espirito Santo left.
For Matt Doherty though, there is one big similarity between the two Portuguese coaches.
Matt Doherty says Wolves now have a similar culture under Vitor Pereira to Nuno Espirito Santo
Doherty is the only player in Wolves’ squad who played under both Nuno and Pereira.
Of course, he transferred away and joined Tottenham Hotspur, and then went to Atletico Madrid.
But Doherty returned to Wolves in the summer of 2023, and has been reborn of late, playing on the right of a back three.
He’s seen a lot of changes across his two stints at Molineux.
But in his eyes, the culture now away from the pitch is very similar to what it was like under Nuno.
He said on the Official Wolves podcast: “It’s like a family environment, around the training ground.
“We had a barbecue the other day. These little things that bring everybody together – it is very similar. And obviously there’s still a lot of Portuguese players here so yeah. That side of things is very similar, but on the pitch I don’t know…
“There are similarities, but it’s not that close.”
Pereira could be the new Nuno for Wolves
Inevitably, there will be a time when Pereira starts to come under some pressure at Wolves.
It’s been pretty plain sailing so far. But the honeymoon period will soon be over and naturally, he will find himself under pressure at some point.
But he has certainly built up a lot of credit in the bank, and fans love Pereira’s passion and the way he has connected with the supporters.
It is very Nuno-esque the way he’s managed to connect with the fans.
Wolves have declined since Nuno departed Wolves and hopefully, Pereira can help the club to ascend again. But he can only do so if Fosun put their hands in their pockets and smart recruitment decisions are made.