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Vitor Pereira gives his first words on becoming new Wolves head coach

Vitor Pereira gives his first words on becoming new Wolves head coach, coming in to replace Gary O’Neil who was sacked on Sunday.

Pereira, who was previously managing Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League, has signed an 18-month contract with the West Midlands outfit and his first match in charge will be a crucial game against Leicester City.

Wolves are currently in the Premier League relegation zone, sitting 19th with 9 points from 16 games played and are 5 points from safety.

STATEMENT:

Vitor Pereira is the new Wolves head coach, after he agreed an 18-month deal with the club.

The 56-year-old brings a wealth of experience to the role at Molineux, having won league titles in Portugal, Greece and China.

Pereira, who departs Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab, has taken training at Compton Park for the first time on Thursday and will be in charge when Wolves travel to Leicester City this weekend.

The Portuguese began his coaching journey with Sanjoanensein 2004 – one of 13 managerial positions he’s held, including at Olympiacos and Porto.

It was at Porto where he won back-to-back Primeira Liga titles in 2012 and 2013, losing just one league match across two seasons, and Pereira enjoyed similar success in Greece, guiding Olympiacos to the Super League title in 2015.

Pereira’s managerial career took him to Turkey and Germany, before a fourth league title came with Shanghai SIPG in 2018.

During his time with Flamengo Pereira briefly worked with now Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes and he’s spent the majority of 2024 in Saudi Arabia, but now he steps into the Premier League for the first time.

Chairman Jeff Shi said: “We are delighted to welcome Vitor Pereira to Wolves as the new head coach of our men’s first-team. Vitor is a highly respected and experienced coach who has achieved success across different leagues and will bring a new approach for the test ahead.

“This is a challenging moment for the club, and we want to thank Vitor 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.”

Sporting director Matt Hobbs said: “Vitor is a highly experienced and accomplished head coach who has demonstrated his ability to succeed at the highest level. His personality, desire and leadership qualities stood out to us during this process, and we’re excited to see how he applies his expertise here at Wolves.

“I’m looking forward to working closely with Vitor and his team on a daily basis, supporting them in every way possible – from getting the maximum out of our staff at Compton, to recruitment in the upcoming transfer window – as we work together to strengthen the squad and achieve our collective goals.”

Vitor Pereira wrote a goodbye message to Al Shabab on his Instagram account: “The time has come to say goodbye to Al Shabab, every day here has been a lesson. Every challenge, an opportunity to grow. Even though the passage was short, we achieved important goals and milestones, overcame obstacles and created memories that will never fade.

“On behalf of myself and my coaching staff, I sincerely thank the players, the staff, the managers and the fans, who have always supported us unconditionally. I take with me the pride of having been part of this club and the certainty that I gave everything, every day! Special thanks to president @msimba_. for the friendship, respect and gratitude you have always shown us throughout this journey.

“This is not only a farewell, but also a reflection on the importance of each step on our path. Now, it’s time to look to the future, always with gratitude for what the past has given me. Thank you Al Shabab! I WISH the club much success for the rest of the season! ⚫️⚪️”

This is what Twitter users had to say after Vitor Pereira gives his first words on becoming the new Wolves head coach…

@Woodthewolf83: Welcome Vitor. Now let’s get behind him and be the 12th man- see if he can perform a miracle 🙏🏼

@ColinPep1: Not sharing the confidence some have that this guy is some super coach who can turn it around. Going to be hard enough for him given he has no defence and remains to be seen what can be done about that in January, where arguably we need 2 CBs and a LB – good ones at that.

@SL5Jase: Oh hello, good luck your gonna need it #wwfc

@adpr84:
• Won titles in different countries
• Been relegated
• Did the dirty on Corinthians
• Known for organising defences
It’s a gamble for sure but then it’s needs to be. Could genuinely go either way but we’ve got ourselves a character….and it won’t be boring #wwfc

@JackPLoftus: Just want the effort to be top. If we go down so be it. If we put up a fight there’s no reason to not back them. Couple of decent results on the bounce and we’re in the fight. Let’s have it. You fucking Wolves 🐺 #wwfc

@hibbsy: That’s all we need, Victor having to work closely with Matt Hobbs.

@DannyPowers82: One thing I’m hoping the new coach will install is some discipline, been absolutely shocking this season. And if he can set us up correctly on corners too that wouldn’t go a miss. Good luck Vítor, you’re going to need it 😬 #wwfc

@BenThorne01: Feels fairly wild in a desperate situation- but at least seems a man with big confidence for BIG rescue act 🙏 Hopefully a big impact and give team more direction, organisation and confidence. Massive game on Sunday. Good luck Vitor! We are all behind you #wwfc #wolves 🤝

@cryingwolvespod: Welcome to Wolves, Vitor. Don’t mess this up. #wwfc #wolves

@LG__88: Matt Hobbs being involved on a ‘daily basis’ is very concerning

@StephenBrown4TU: He’ll need backing with some decent money in January for signings, otherwise this is going to be just more Fosun window dressing.

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