Jhon Arias gets standing ovation as Vitor Pereira mistake at Wolves is now crystal clear

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Jhon Arias came and went at Wolves – but what he’s doing now is a poor reflection on former manager Vitor Pereira.

Arias signed for Wolves last summer as part of the ill-fated recruitment drive that ended up being a big reason why the Old Gold suffered relegation.

Wolves bought Arias, hoping that he would bring a similar level of quality to Matheus Cunha.

Who do you think has been the worst signing Wolves made in the 2025 summer window? 🤔

Krejci and Moller Wolfe surely aren't in the mix…

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They are different players, but Arias had pedigree like the Brazilian, and expectations were high.

But it was a failed spell for Arias, who regularly went through games without making an impact.

But perhaps things might have gone differently had Vitor Pereira deployed him in the middle, something we only saw a few times after the Portuguese had been sacked.

Jhon Arias is a midfield general as former Wolves man shines again at World Cup

For the most part, Arias played as a winger or number 10 at Wolves.

He tended to pick up positions on the right side, or inside right if playing as a 10.

But we are now seeing him play more as a box-to-box midfielder for Colombia – and Arias has produced three great performances so far at the World Cup.

Potentially, his showing against Portugal last night was his best yet.

As per Sofascore data, Arias won the most duels of any player in the game with seven. He was superb on the ball, completing 52/53 (98%), four of which classified as ‘key’.

He was heavily involved, having 73 touches – only three players in the game had more.

And Arias also made five defensive contributions and completed 100% of his dribbles. There were times where he did hold width on the right side, but he also cropped up in central positions to exert influence. Certainly in the first two games he was central more often, and he shone.

He was substituted with James Rodriguez after 76 minutes, and the pair were given a standing ovation for their efforts in the 0-0 draw.

Arias’ energy and industry that has been on show does really beg the question, why wasn’t he used in midfield more at Wolves.

Pereira never used him in a box-to-box role, and Rob Edwards only gave him a handful of outings there, and that was the best he looked during his time at Wolves.

Had Pereira used him in the middle from the outset, perhaps his stint would have gone much differently.

And who knows, perhaps Wolves would have made a better fist of staying up.

There was criticism of the Andre and Joao Gomes partnership at times last season, with some suggesting that the Brazilians are too similar.

Perhaps Wolves’ fate was sealed given the other deals they did, resulting in a squad that lacked quality needed to survive, but it has become clear that Arias was badly misused during his time at Molineux.

And it’s not a good reflection on Pereira, who should have clocked his best attributes and put him into the position he is best in.

It’s strange that he didn’t do this. Arias was a signing that he personally vouched for, having seen him up close in Brazil playing for Fluminense.