Wolves are ready for a new chapter after finally sacking Gary O’Neil.
Fosun relieved the Englishman from his duties after a very poor run of results, and a new man will soon be in place.
Just hours after Gary O’Neil’s dismissal, it was reported Wolves were in talks with Vitor Pereira about taking on the job.
Pereira has a release clause of about £830,000, and that is clearly something Wolves have no issues over.
Pereira has an absolutely huge job on his hands to get Wolves away from the relegation zone, but seemingly he is ready for the challenge.
It’s likely he’ll be backed by Fosun, otherwise, he would not be entertaining this opportunity.
It’s going to be fascinating to see how he gets on, and here’s what Wolves fans might be able to expect from a Wolves side in his image.
What Vitor Pereira has said about his style of play as Wolves close in
It seems the club are now very close to finalising this appointment, as this morning, journalist Ben Jacobs has reported on X that Pereira ‘is currently finalising personal terms with Wolves, and the expectation is a deal will be closed today’. He is said to have informed Al Shabab that he is leaving.
Pereira is a coach with a wealth of experience, and has managed many clubs in his career.
Currently, he’s at Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab, where he’s been since February of this year, replacing Igor Biscan at the time.
Pereira has managed 30 games for the club, winning 16 of those, drawing four and losing 10, giving him a win percentage of just over 53%.
Pereira has had a whopping 12 clubs in his managerial career, which some Wolves fans find a tad concerning, but he has averaged a win percentage of 53.89% across those clubs, which is encouraging.
Earlier this year, Pereira spoke about his reasons for joining Al Shabab, and made some comments about style of play.
He told Give Me Sport: “The Shabab squad quickly embraced my style. They love to play an offensive game with possession and control of the ball, as well as high pressure when off it. We have increased our level since I joined. The team is developing well, and we are building for the future. I think we can do important things in this league.”
South American football journalist Nathan Joyes penned a feature on Pereira in April 2023 about his time at Flamengo – and there are some slightly worrying observations.
It’s stated: “Teams have been able to carve through their midfield and defence with ease, often backing off and inviting attacking pressure, allowing shots from the edge of box. It’s also been as simple as playing balls over the centre backs on occasions, which is simply unforgivable at any club, let alone Flamengo.”
Pereira is a major gamble by Wolves
It’s fascinating to read these comments from Pereira that were only made a few months ago.
Pereira seems to be a big advocate for attacking football and control of the ball – but he is surely going to have to take an alternative approach when he becomes the new Wolves manager. At least in some games.
We have seen how atrocious Wolves have been defensively this season. 40 goals conceded in the Premier League so far in just 16 matches is absolutely abysmal.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 14 |  West HamWest Ham | 15 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 28 | -8 | 18 |
| 15 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 16 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 17 | 21 | -4 | 16 |
| 16 |  EvertonEverton | 15 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 14 | 21 | -7 | 15 |
| 17 |  LeicesterLeicester | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 21 | 34 | -13 | 14 |
| 18 |  IpswichIpswich | 16 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 28 | -12 | 12 |
| 19 |  WolvesWolves | 16 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 24 | 40 | -16 | 9 |
| 20 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 16 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 11 | 36 | -25 | 5 |
The first thing Pereira needs to do is shore up the backline – and to do that he needs backing in the January transfer window.
If he gets the right players in, then hopefully Wolves will still get to see this attacking brand of football.
He surely cannot come in and hope to establish his usual brand of football with the current crop of players.