Vitor Pereira is in line to become Gary O’Neil’s successor at Wolves, with the deal edging closer.
The current Al-Shabab manager is preparing to make the move to Molineux, in what will be his first experience of the Premier League.
Pereira is set to travel to England soon to complete his move from the Saudi Pro League side, where he coached former player Daniel Podence.
Wolves will pay Pereira’s €1m release clause to hire him ahead of the Old Gold’s upcoming clash against Leicester City.
Premier League players Wolves target Vitor Pereira has signed as a manager
While the 56-year-old has never managed in the Premier League, Pereira is familiar with the standard in England.
Such admiration has led the coach to acquire talent from the English top flight in the past, signing seven players from Premier League clubs over the years.
Most recently, Pereira signed Podence from Wolves to bolster his attack at Al-Shabab but the former Wolf is far from the best talent he’s snatched from England.
| Player | From | To |
| Robin van Persie | Man United | Fenerbahce |
| Nani | Man United | Fenerbahce |
| Marco Arnautovic | West Ham | SH SIPG |
| Martin Skrtel | Liverpool | Fenerbahce |
| Daniel Podence | Wolves | Al-Shabab |
| Aaron Mooy | Brighton | SH SIPG |
| Lazar Markovic | Liverpool | Fenerbahce |
In 2015, the pending Wolves manager captured Robin van Persie from Manchester United, bringing the Dutchman to Fenerbahce to bring his 144-goal Premier League career to a close.
Also signed from United was four-time Premier League winner Nani, who went on to score 12 goals for the Turkish side.
From Liverpool, Pereira signed Martin Skrtel and Lazar Markovic, as well as capturing Marko Arnautovic from West Ham and Aaron Mooy from Brighton.
Pereira needs to be backed in the January transfer window
It’s clear that Pereira has a pull and a clear sense of optimism when it comes to luring players to join his projects.
That being said, the manager faces an issue with Fosun and Jeff Shi, who have been notoriously unsupportive in recent transfer windows.
Upon leaving, it became clear that O’Neil lost trust in Fosun due to the owners’ lack of backing in the summer, which cannot become an issue for Pereira to inherit.
Wolves are fortunate to have attracted an experienced manager at such a tough time, sending a warning to Fosun to approach the situation correctly in order to get the best out of a difficult situation.