Official: Wolves sack coach Vítor Pereira | OneFootball

Wolverhampton Wanderers announced the departure of Portuguese boss Vítor Pereira on Sunday morning, the day after a 3-0 defeat to Fulham left them winless and bottom of the Premier League table after ten rounds of action.

Wolves’ loss to Marco Silva’s Cottagers sees them a substantial 8 points adrift of safety in the English top flight, having failed to carry the positive vibe from the end to last season into the new campaign. Pereira was issued a new contract in September, but leaves his post less than two months later.

According to sources close to the Portuguese, Pereira regrets not leaving the club during a summer transfer window in which he regularly expressed frustration at the club’s business. Key players Matheus Cunha and Rayan Aït-Nouri were sold to Manchester United and Manchester City respectively, with the club slow to make their own mark on the summer window.

Pereira spoke of his concerns in July: “I'm a little worried as a coach, but of course I have to understand the market. I have to understand that the market isn't easy, but time is passing, and I know that in a month we'll face City already loaded with reinforcements, and we can't make the same mistake as last year, which was starting the championship poorly, falling into the relegation zone, and then it's a pain.”

Wolves ultimately signed three players in the final month of the window, but reports suggest the acquisitions were far from the first choices. An opening-day 4-0 home defeat to Manchester City set the tone for a frustrating start to the campaign, which has seen Wolves suffer particularly from conceding late goals.

Pereira’s men were leading 1-0 away at Tottenham until João Palhinha’s 94th-minute leveller; the following match they were denied a 1-0 victory over Brighton by an 86th-minute equaliser. More recently, Burnley’s 3-2 win at Molineux came through a winner on 95 mins. In total, the team have directly lost out on five points based on goals conceded after the 85th minute.

“I’m not happy, I’m not proud” – Pereira

Speaking after the defeat to Fulham, Pereira was clear in his dismay at the showing: “I’m disappointed today,” he said. “I’m not proud of my wok, of our work, because I don’t know why. I don’t know if it’s because mentally, we put a lot of energy in the last game against Chelsea until the last minute.

“But what I realised today was a very difficult game for us, tactically, technically, physically. We played maybe one of the worst games that we’ve played. Since the first minute the energy to move, the offensive dynamic, and the energy to press was not there.

“After five minutes, I started to realise that something is missing today. But the game was balanced, because even then, they were not playing in a high level.

“Today, in my mind, I thought we’ll go there – changing some players – and we can show that we can be consistent in a full game, but it was not the case.

“If I’m happy, I’m happy, if I’m proud, I’m proud, but I cannot represent that today. I am not proud. I am not happy, and we must play in a better level and we must give the answer in the next game.”

Turnaround in fortunes

Pereira leaves Wolves less than a year after he was appointed to save the club from relegation last December. Wolves were five points adrift of safety when the former Porto boss arrived; by the end of the season Pereira’s finished an astonishing 17 points clear of the drop zone. As a result, Pereira was named on the 5-man shortlist for Premier League Manager of the Year.

“Vítor and his team worked tirelessly for Wolves and helped guide us through a challenging period last season, for which we are grateful,” said executive chairman Jeff Shi in a statement on Sunday.

“Unfortunately, the start to this season has been a disappointment and, despite our strong desire to give the head coach time and matches to find an improvement, we have reached a point where we must make a change.

“We thank Vítor and his staff for their efforts and wish them the very best for the future.”

According to reports, Pereira is keen to return to the Premier League in the near future.