Wolves secured the signature of Vitor Pereira as manager in December, and since that day, his appointment has proven to be a masterstroke.
The Wanderers were marooned inside the bottom three when Gary O’Neil was sacked following their horrific defeat to Ipswich Town, with Pereira needing to pick up the pieces.
The Portuguese started with back-to-back wins against Leicester City and Manchester United. That was remarkable, but what he’s achieved since is nothing short of phenomenal.
Wolves are Europe’s in-form team after winning six successive matches, seeing their stock rise significantly, as well as their league position.
Pereira has also created a special bond with Wolves fans, including regular pub visits to drink with fans and has completely turned the club’s fortunes around. Interestingly, if the past had taken a different course, the 56-year-old could have been revolutionising one of their bitter rivals instead.
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Vitor Pereira almost joined West Brom, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton
In an interview with BBC Sport, Pereira admitted that he held talks with Chelsea, Everton, Crystal Palace, Watford and bitter rivals West Brom before becoming manager of Wolves.
“Do you know how many meetings I had here? The first one, West Bromwich, in the Premier League, maybe 15 years ago,” he said.
“The second? Everton. Third? Crystal Palace with the proposal, with the contract for two and-a-half years. OK, we can celebrate with a pint and then they changed the idea for another but I realised that is normal here.
“After that, Chelsea, then Everton again, then Arsenal. I had a very long, very good meeting with Arsenal before they signed (Mikel) Arteta. Watford was the only time that I said no. I didn’t want to do it. It was the time that they were relegated.”
The list doesn’t end, though, as it’s been previously known that Pereira almost joined Everton on numerous occasions, holding talks to possibly replace Rafael Benitez in 2019, and Marco Silva in 2022.
“It was three times with Everton. With Everton, with the contract was agreed – everything – to start to work tomorrow. My bags were packed,” Pereira added.
“But when tomorrow came, it was a case of ‘check in, check out, check in, check out, check in’ – for one week. It was winter. It’s a lot. It means now I’m very happy to be here.
“I’m very grateful to the club because they gave me the opportunity to be in the league that I believe gives me the opportunity to be at my best level.”
What Wolves must do to keep Pereira
Wolves have uncovered a gem in Pereira and he’s thankful the club gave him the opportunity to manage in the Premier League.
If they play their cards right, they could have an incredible manager for years to come, boasting the potential to lead them back into Europe.
That doesn’t depend on the manager’s abilities, but more so on the capacity for Fosun to back him in the transfer window.
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Julen Lopetegui once walked out of Wolves after not being backed properly in the transfer window while O’Neil was frustrated by the transfer policy, notably selling their best players and not investing money into the squad.
Luckily, Pereira has already warned Fosun about the club selling all of its prized assets as he prepares for a massive window of business.