Wolves confirm Vítor Pereira as head coach after sacking Gary O’Neil | Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves have confirmed the appointment of Vítor Pereira as their head coach on an 18-month contract. The Portuguese has joined from the Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab as the successor to Gary O’Neil, who was sacked on Sunday.
Pereira, who has won domestic titles in Greece, Portugal and China, took training for the first time on Thursday. He arrives with Wolves second-bottom of the Premier League after four straight defeats. His first game will be on Sunday at Leicester, who are two places and five points above Wolves.
The 56-year-old Pereira has coached in seven countries – Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Turkey, Germany, China and Brazil – and has only once spent more than two years at a club. Wolves are the fifth club he has been in charge of since the longest stint of his career, in Shanghai, ended in December 2020.
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The Wolves chairman, Jeff Shi, said: “This is a challenging moment for the club and we want to thank Vítor for taking on this responsibility. We have full confidence in his ability to guide us back on track, alongside the players and staff, and the entire club will be united in supporting him to achieve success.”
Wolves have paid about £800,000 to release Pereira from his contract at Al-Shabab, whom he joined in February. Wolves plan to help Pereira by investing in the squad in January, with a centre-back a priority target.
Pereira, who worked with João Gomes during a brief stint at Flamengo, inherits a team that have struggled for discipline in recent weeks. José Sá confronted a fan during defeat to Bournemouth, Mario Lemina butted heads with the former assistant coach Shaun Derry and Rayan Aït-Nouri was sent off after defeat by Ipswich.
Pereira has also shown his temper over the years. Asked about his job security during a press conference while in charge of Corinthians, he said: “At this stage of my life, of my career, do you think I’m afraid of losing my job? Do you have any idea how much money I’ve got in the bank, mate?”
Pereira may be unable to call upon Wolves’ star forward Matheus Cunha in his first match after the Brazilian was charged by the Football Association for his part in the ugly scenes after defeat to Ipswich. Cunha snatched the glasses of a member of the visiting team’s security staff. Cunha has until Thursday to respond.
