Wolves are aiming to appoint Portuguese coach Vitor Pereira to replace the sacked Gary O’Neil within the next 24 hours.
O’Neil was sacked on Sunday morning after Saturday’s humiliating 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich, which left Wolves five points adrift of safety.
Pereira, who coaches Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab, has never coached in the Premier League before, although he was close to a move to Everton before Frank Lampard was appointed in January 2022. Wolves are willing to pay the release clause in his contract.
Just last Thursday, Wolves chairman Jeff Shi wrote an article in the local newspaper expressing his support for O’Neil.
But the manner in which the defeat to Ipswich took place convinced them that a change in the hierarchy was needed.
Wolves conceded a goal in injury time – their 16th from a dead ball this season – and Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri became involved in a scuffle after the final whistle. Ait-Nouri received a second yellow card and will miss Sunday’s trip to rival Leicester, while Cunha may also be punished retroactively.
Wolves are aiming to appoint Vitor Pereira to replace Gary O’Neil within the next 24 hours
Wolves sacked O’Neil on Sunday morning after the humiliating defeat to Ipswich
Although he has never worked in England, Pereira has won league titles with European giants FC Porto and Olympiacos.
Pereira, who speaks excellent English, also prefers to work with a back three, making him a good fit for this Wolves squad.
Pereira has previously coached clubs such as Fenerbahce, Porto and Olympiacos
It is Wolves’ first Portuguese appointment since Bruno Lage replaced Nuno Espírito Santo in 2021. They have had close ties with Portugal over the past decade thanks to the strong relationships between owners Fosun and super agent Jorge Mendes, although it is unclear whether Mendes played any part in this deal.
Wolves are expected to make funds available for new players in January, with a centre-back at the top of their list or priorities.