Why Wolves have appointed Cesar Peixoto - Nathan Shi breaks silence | OneFootball

The newly-relegated side have confirmed the Portuguese's appointment on a two-year deal

Following their relegation from the Premier League, it has been an extremely hectic beginning to pre-season for those of a Wolverhampton Wanderers persuasion.

It has been some eight years since Wolves found themselves playing in the Championship, and no doubt those associated with the West Midlands club will be hoping for a similar campaign to the one which was enjoyed by Nuno Espirito Santo and his star-studded squad of 2017/18 at Molineux.

Since then, Wanderers have certainly been on a mixed trajectory, having gotten themselves into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League just two years after winning promotion, before failing to continue their progress and stability following Nuno's emotional exit five years ago.

Indeed, last season was a recent nadir for those in WV1, with the club's owners, Fosun, opting to replace Vitor Pereira with Rob Edwards - who would leave Middlesbrough in controversial circumstances - last November, before having to still wait until January 3rd for a first of only three league victories all campaign.

As such, they finished rock-bottom of the Premier League on just 20 points, and were comfortably relegated alongside West Ham United and Burnley.

It was, though, largely expected that Edwards would still take charge of the 2026/27 season, until his swift exit was announced in dramatic fashion last Thursday, with links to Cesar Peixoto subsequently coming to the fore.

The 46-year-old was reported to have close links to Nuno Mendes, and has since been announced as the latest head coach at Molineux on a two-year contract, just short of eight weeks before the competitive season gets off and running.

Nathan Shi reveals why Cesar Peixoto has been named as Wolves head coach

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A move for the Portuguese head coach certainly hasn't come cheap for Wolves, though, with Record reporting that a compensation package of between €1m and €1.5m (£860,000 and £1.3m) had been agreed between them and Gil Vicente ahead of the deal being finalised.

This will be Peixoto's first managerial job outside of his home country, and the pressure will certainly be on the club's under-fire hierarchy, Fosun Group, to have nailed their latest change in the dugout - a sixth since Nuno's 2021 departure.

Nathan Shi was appointed as chairman last December following the resignation of his father, Jeff, in the Molineux boardroom, and despite being in situ for approximately half a year, has already been the subject of immense frustration from fans.

However, he has revealed why Peixoto was chosen as the man to lead Wolves into their upcoming Championship campaign.

“Throughout our discussions with him, it became clear very quickly that he possesses many of the qualities we believe are important for the future of this football club," said Shi.

“We wanted clear identity, strong leadership qualities and a real hunger to succeed. Cesar demonstrated all of those characteristics, but what impressed me most was his mentality, his work ethic and his willingness to embrace the challenge in front of him.

“He is young, energetic and ambitious, but he is also thoughtful, accountable and willing to challenge himself and those around him in pursuit of improvement," the Wolves chief added.

“We believe he will be an excellent fit for the culture and vision we are building at Wolves.”

Cesar Peixoto has a huge task of changing the culture at Molineux following Wolves appointment

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The upcoming season is critical for Wolves, both in the short and long-term, and Peixoto has the huge task of trying to implement a winning culture at the club, which has certainly been lost in recent times.

In 46 matches in charge of Gil Vicente, he won 16 of those and ended with a 35% win percentage, as they finished sixth in Liga Portugal in his only full season at the Estádio Cidade de Barcelos.

Wanderers have already re-signed Raul Jimenez on a free transfer, although it remains to be seen if Kieran Trippier will fulfil his pre-contract agreement after reportedly being left furious by the club's managerial change, whilst Adama Traoré has also been linked with a return to his former side on a free transfer.

Unsurprisingly, many names have also been the subject of exit talk, so the new head coach will have a key task of reshaping the squad into one which he can very much call his own, and hope to enjoy success with, repaying the faith instilled in him by the likes of Shi in the process.