In December, Wolves sacked Gary O’Neil and replaced him with Vitor Pereira – and it’s been a mixed bag so far for the Portuguese.
The Wanderers hierarchy finally parted ways with Gary O’Neil after the 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town at Molineux.
It was a decision many fans had been calling for the club to make for a while.
But Fosun were reluctant to pull the trigger, believing O’Neil could turn things around if given time.
But in the end, there was no more defending him, and O’Neil left.
His replacement Pereira has overseen seven games so far. He’s won three of those, including one against Bristol City in the FA Cup, drawn one and lost three.
So that’s seven points taken in the Premier League. But in the eyes of pundit Paul Merson, this doesn’t make him better than O’Neil.
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Paul Merson claims Wolves were better under Gary O’Neil than Vitor Pereira
Pretty much the whole fanbase was calling for O’Neil to go after the Ipswich defeat.
Many called for him to go as far back as the 5-3 defeat to Brentford.
But despite how badly Wolves struggled under him, Paul Merson believes Wolves were better with O’Neil at the helm than under Pereira right now.
Also predicting Wolves will get relegated at the end of the season, he told Sportskeeda: “I was at Stamford Bridge the other night and Wolves were atrocious against Chelsea. They will get relegated!
“Wolves’ performance in that loss to Chelsea will give so much belief to Leicester City and Ipswich. They were a better team under Gary O’Neil.”
The comments here should perhaps come as now surprise. Because Merson felt Wolves keeping O’Neil in place after the defeat to West Ham United was the right decision.
Many Wolves fans will strongly disagree
Merson’s comments here about Wolves are bold to say the least.
It’s a verdict that many fans will not share, and really, you need only look at the points totals of each manager this season.
In the Premier League in 2024/25, O’Neil took just nine points in 16 games. So far, Pereira has taken seven from just six. He might well have got more on the board, but he’s inherited a mess and come up against some tough in-form opponents like Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United.
Merson’s verdict has been made off the back of the defeat to Chelsea and is reactionary.
| Gary O’Neil (PL 24/25) | Vitor Pereira (PL 24/25) |
| Games managed – 16 | Games managed – 6 |
| Wins – 2 | Wins – 2 |
| Draws – 3 | Draws – 1 |
| Losses – 11 | Losses – 3 |
| Points taken – 9 | Points taken 7 |
| Points per game – 0.56 | Points per game – 1.17 |
Yes, Wolves were very poor at Stamford Bridge, and it was probably the worst performance to date under the new manager.
But to suggest Wolves were better under O’Neil is extremely questionable.
Eddie Howe recently shared four things he’s noticed about Wolves under Pereira, which were that the team now has more confidence, has an identity, is more settled and has connected with the new manager.
A top coach saying things like this strongly suggests that Wolves are in a better way now, even though the last few results haven’t been great.