Wolves have been completely transformed under Vitor Pereira, and now, supporters will be dreaming of something special happening.
Wolves have skyrocketed up the Premier League table since the Portuguese took charge of the club in December.
The Old Gold are now in 13th position after an incredible run of form in April saw Pereira collect the Manager of the Month award – the first Wolves manager to do so since Bruno Lage in February 2022.
Although Fosun could potentially hold them back in the transfer window, Pereira is expecting ‘big things’ for the club, perhaps envisaging them climbing towards the European places.
While that is something to think about in the future, supporters are currently happy with their progress ahead of their clash against Brighton this weekend.
Vitor Pereira pays Gary O’Neil a backhanded compliment
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that Wolves’ season turned around when Gary O’Neil was sacked, with Pereira replacing him after the defeat to Ipswich Town.
O’Neil was walking on thin ice for a while before being axed, only winning two of his first 16 league matches in 2024/25 and completely losing the dressing room.
Players began to vent their frustrations on the pitch at how poor things were, as Mario Lemina lashed out against West Ham, and Rayan Ait-Nouri lost his head in the defeat to Ipswich.
It was the actions of a squad playing with zero confidence and belief. Pablo Sarabia admitted there was a change under Pereira once he arrived, as the spirit of the team improved and they were playing in a settled style.
Speaking ahead of their clash at home to Brighton, the Wolves manager paid O’Neil a backhanded compliment, claiming he ‘tried his best to give confidence to the team’ but ultimately failed.
"I believe Gary (O'Neil) tried his best to give confidence to the team and a tactical direction, but football is football. A team like us, the only team in this city, is very powerful. If we commit everyone, we can do special things." #wwfc
— Liam Keen (@LiamKeen_Star) May 9, 2025
Unfortunately, the end of O’Neil’s tenure was described as Jeff Shi’s worst point as Wolves chairman, emphasising how bad things were, with the narrative now completely switched.
O’Neil was once wanted by Manchester United
Now that Pereira is flying as manager of the Wanderers, it’s easy to forget that O’Neil was doing an excellent job during one period at Molineux.
He led Wolves towards mid-table last term and were threatening to gatecrash the European places while the Englishman took them to an FA Cup quarter-final in March 2024.
It was also at this point when the manager’s stock was at it’s highest and O’Neil was being linked with the Manchester United job.
That was when Erik ten Hag was under increasing pressure and the 41-year-old was tipped to replace him.
In hindsight, it’s remarkable he was ever being touted with a move to Old Trafford – even if they’ve struggled in the Premier League – but it shows how quickly his stock has fallen.
O’Neil is now wanted by Championship clubs, perhaps needing to drop down to the second tier to prove his worth.