Wolves appoint Pereira as manager after sacking O'Neil

Wolverhampton Wanderers have named Vitor Pereira as head coach on an 18-month deal, the Premier League club said on Thursday, hoping the Portuguese can guide them out of the relegation zone.

The 56-year-old replaces Gary O'Neil, who was sacked on Sunday after a four-game losing run in the league left them second-bottom of the table with nine points from 16 matches following Saturday's 2-1 home defeat by promoted Ipswich Town.

Pereira, who is the Midlands club's third Portuguese manager after Nuno Espirito Santo and Bruno Lage, takes over a team who are five points adrift of the safety zone.

Welcome to Wolves, Vitor 🤝

— Wolves (@Wolves) December 19, 2024

"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 club said in a statement.

Pereira faces a tough task to get Wolves' season back on track, with the team having the worst defence in the league after conceding 40 goals.

They have also had disciplinary issues in recent weeks, with Mario Lemina being stripped of the captaincy after an altercation with West Ham United forward Jarrod Bowen.

Wolves winger Matheus Cunha was charged by the Football Association for clashing with an Ipswich staff member.

'CHALLENGING MOMENT'

"This is a challenging moment for the club, and we want to thank Vitor for taking on this responsibility," Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said.

"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' next game is at 17th-placed Leicester City on Sunday, with tougher fixtures coming up against Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur later this month.

Pereira first made a name for himself at Porto as assistant to Andre Villas-Boas, who left to join Chelsea in 2011 leaving his protege to take over as manager of the Portuguese side.

Pereira won the Primeira Liga twice with Porto, before signing with Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli in 2013 and beginning a globe-trotting career that would see him manage clubs such as Olympiakos Piraeus, Fenerbahce, Shanghai Port and Flamengo.

Pereira has twice come close to managing in the Premier League and was interviewed for the Everton job in 2013.

He was the preferred candidate to take charge of the Merseyside club in 2022 following the sacking of Rafa Benitez, but Everton hired Frank Lampard after backlash from some fans.

Wolves' Sporting director Matt Hobbs said he would work with Pereira to strengthen the squad in the January transfer window.

"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," Hobbs said.