Wolves have appointed Vitor Pereira as their new head coach following the sacking of Gary O'Neil.
Pereira has signed a one-and-a-half-year deal after negotiating a fee of just over £800,000 with Saudi Pro League side Al Shabab on his exit.
O'Neil was sacked on Sunday after a heavy 2-1 defeat by Ipswich at Molineux on Saturday, and then A scuffle saw Rayan Ait-Nouri hauled off the field and Matheus Cunha accused of misconduct by the FA.
The result left Wolves 19th in the Premier League table – five points ahead of 17th-placed Leicester, who they play away on Sunday.
Sky Sports News Wolves were told they were happy to pay Pereira's release clause and the 56-year-old, who won league titles in three different countries while at Porto, Olympiakos and Shanghai, was keen to move to Molineux.
Pereira – who had been in charge of Al Shabab since February – had been linked with the Everton job in early 2022, but Toffees fans openly protested and Frank Lampard was named as his replacement.
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Sky Sports Patrick Smith looks at the numbers behind Wolves' defensive performances and stresses the need for them to improve quickly to avoid relegation.
Analysis: Who is Vitor Pereira?
Sky Sports reporter Adam Bate reports:
Pereira's appointment with Wolves takes the number of jobs the Portuguese coach has taken on since leaving for Porto in 2013 to double figures. Ten years ago, Pereira was considered one of the brightest coaching prospects in Europe.
What he achieved at Porto bears repeating. He won the title in each of his two seasons, leading an undefeated team to become champions under Andre Villas-Boas. Pereira's final season was particularly impressive as Porto were unbeaten again.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Ipswich's Premier League win against Wolves
He was a title winner with Olympiakos in Greece and won the Chinese Super League during his time in Shanghai, but there was also a chaotic period in charge of Fenerbahce and a determined attempt to retain 1860 Munich's status in Germany's second division.
Having also spent over a year in Brazil, working at two big clubs in Corinthians and Flamengo, Pereira has pedigree but also risks his credentials as this is his first job in one of the five major European leagues.
There are elements that work for it. Wolves have a history with Portuguese coaches being promoted to the Premier League under Nuno Espirito Santo and achieving top finishes in the competition under Nuno and his successor Bruno Lage.
The shape of the Wolves team still reflects that influence. Up to eight of the squad for O'Neil's final game against Ipswich will speak Portuguese as a first language and that does not include Brazil international midfielder Joao Gomes.
Some of these are key figures in the group, ones that Pereira needs on the other side if he is to turn around Wolves' fortunes. Nelson Semedo is now the captain of the team. Cunha is the undisputed star player. Andre's improvement in form could be crucial.
The problem for Pereira is that he has to act quickly. Defeat against Leicester in the next game would leave Wolves seven points ahead of a team they must surely catch if they are to keep up. Establishing control and offering hope must happen quickly if it is to be successful.
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Sky Sports' Sam Blitz breaks down what Pereira could bring to Molineux
Wolves' next six games in the Premier League
Leicester (a) – December 22, 2 p.m
Man Utd (h) – 26 December, 5.30 pm
Tottenham (a) – December 29, 3 p.m
Nottingham Forest (h) – January 6, 8 pm – Live on Sky Sports
Newcastle (a) – 15 January, 7.30 p.m
Chelsea (a) – January 20, 8 pm – Live on Sky Sports
What happened at Everton?
Pereira was close to becoming manager of Everton in January 2022, even going so far as to talk to him Sky Sports News in an attempt to quell fan complaints about the much-anticipated role. In the end, the Toffees chose to go with Lampard instead.
“It was either him or Lampard,” Sky Sports News journalist Alan Myers explains. “I think the fans were more upset with Lampard than him. They wanted Pereira out and he wasn't even in!” But for a while it seemed that Pereira had managed to convince the Everton hierarchy.
“He had an interview with Bill Kenwright and Bill was complaining about it. He didn't think it was right for him at first and he still voted for Frank Lampard in the end, but I remember him calling me and saying he's the most enthusiastic, exciting. person you will ever meet.
“Bill said it was empty, you could have eaten dinner off his suit. He was absolutely smitten. I thought he'd get the job at that point. A vote came the table ended unanimously for Lampard but it was close.
“He was successful at Porto and built his career, winning a few things, but he has had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus since then. He is certainly a character that will light up the Premier League in many ways. back in everything he says.”
