It’s all change at Wolves right now, who are preparing for their Premier League clash against Leicester City.
The game is not to prime focus despite being a must-win, as Wolves are preparing to appoint Vitor Pereira.
After Gary O’Neil was sacked following the Old Gold’s late defeat to Ipswich Town, Pereira was quickly sounded out as a suitable replacement.
While Pereira has faced several Premier League managers before, the Leicester clash is expected to be the Portuguese’s first taste of coaching an English side.
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Anthony Taylor to officiate Wolves clash with Leicester City
Pereira is travelling to England to finalise the deal to become Wolves manager, putting him in line to be in charge for the Old Gold’s clash on Sunday.
A trip to Leicester will be a challenge for the new manager, who will be desperate to start off his Molineux career with a vital three points in the fight for survival.
Pereira is set to meet his players on Wednesday and will want to make a good first impression, however, the 56-year-old doesn’t only have his own team to worry about, but possibly the officials too.
The Premier League announced the officials for match week 17’s action, naming Anthony Taylor as the referee for the meeting at the King Power Stadium.
Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn will be Taylor’s assistants, with Anthony Blackhouse taking the role of fourth official.
On VAR is Michael Salisbury, supported by Mat Wilkes on assistant VAR although, the real concern will come with Taylor on the pitch.
Why Matt Hobbs isn’t a fan of Anthony Taylor
Taylor became a villain at Wolves last season, leading to sporting director Matt Hobbs receiving an FA charge and a hefty £4,000 fine.
The punishment came after Newcastle United were awarded a bizarre penalty conceded by Hwang Hee-chan, a decision that O’Neil branded ‘scandalous’ at the time.
Hobbs took a more direct approach, calling Taylor ‘useless’ among other less repeatable things, in what was another instance of Wolves suffering at the hands of VAR.
The matter wasn’t made easier as Howard Webb later indicated that PGMOL got the decision wrong, costing Wolves two valuable points as the game ended in a draw.
Pereira has a big enough job on his hands without having to worry about the officials, putting pressure on Taylor to right his wrongs against Wolves on Sunday afternoon.