Wolves SACK Vitor Pereira! Rock-bottom Premier League strugglers make huge call despite handing manager new contract in September

Following a winless start to the league season which has seen Wolves earn just two points from 10 games - via draws with Tottenham and Brighton - the club are currently bottom of the table. The Midlanders secured victories over West Ham and Everton in the Carabao Cup, but they have been unable to replicate that form in the league.

Confirming Pereira had been relieved of his duties after 11 months in charge, Wolves executive chairman Jeff Shi said in a club statement: “Vitor and his team worked tirelessly for Wolves and helped guide us through a challenging period last season, for which we are grateful.

“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 Vitor and his staff for their efforts and wish them the very best for the future.”

In what has turned out to be Pereira’s final game in charge, Wolves suffered a 3-0 loss at Fulham on Saturday. Strikes from Ryan Sessegnon and Harry Wilson, as well as an own goal from defender Yerson Mosquera, brought about another defeat for Pereira's side, who were also reduced to 10 men after Emmanuel Agbadou was sent off after 36 minutes.

Following the game, Pereira said he was “trying everything” to arrest Wolves’ slide, telling the club’s official website: “I’m trying everything to mentally keep the team in conditions to compete. I had very good feelings from the last game, especially the second half, but I don’t think two days was enough to recover for this game. But it’s my responsibility.

“I’m not a manager to put the responsibilities on the players, but together, we need to have a talk, and to assume the responsibilities together as a group because we cannot accept this level that we played today.

“I understand [fans’ frustration] because if I’m not proud with what we did today, they – for sure – will not be. I must accept it because they are frustrated and I’m frustrated too.

“I’m suffering because it’s my work and I do my best every time, as I did last season, but today, technically, physically and practically, we didn’t play in our level. It means that they come here to support us and thanks for them, but in the end, I understand their frustration.

“I’m a fighter. I never give up. I’m not this kind of person. I will try my best in the next training to mentally recover the team, to tactically recover the organisation that we need for the next game.”

Pereira was only handed a three-year contract in September as the club looked to install stability in the dugout. Following Nuno Espirito Santo’s four-year spell in charge between 2017 and 2021, steering the club to Premier League promotion in 2017-18, Wolves employed managers Bruno Lage, Julen Lopetegui and Gary O’Neil but none of them were able to achieve two years at the helm.

The new deal was also seen as a reward for Pereira after the former Porto boss helped the club avoid relegation to the Championship last season. Succeeding O’Neil in December 2024, the 57-year-old guided Wolves to 16th in the table, 17 points clear of the drop.

Speaking after signing his new contract, Pereira said: “I’m very proud to be Wolves head coach. It's an honour for me. This is the club that gave me the chance to come to the Premier League, the best league in the world. The people here embraced me as a member of the family, me and my staff we feel very good in the city, among the supporters.

“This is the moment that we need to be united. We are a one club city, and this city loves football. It is a passion. This is the spirit that we need to create together, to face and to compete with the best teams in this league.”

But while the new contract was a show of support from the club’s hierarchy, Wolves’ form was unable to improve under Pereira. And with emotions running high following the last-gasp 3-2 league defeat against Burnley on 26 October, an angry confrontation took place between Pereira and the Molineux faithful, with the head coach needing to be pulled away.

Following the ugly scenes, Pereira said: "We understand the frustration of the people and supporters but what I must say, if we fight united with them, we can win games and compete and achieve our targets - without them, it is impossible. If we win two or three games in a row, things will change. Two months ago they sang my name, because together with the work we did last season, we are competing in the Premier League and not the Championship. 

"Now they sing my name to sack me. If I was a supporter, I would feel proud of my team because they worked and showed the spirit, mentality and ambition to win the game, even losing 2-0 [after 30 minutes]. If you fight for 90 minutes to win a game and in the last minute, when the other team was trying to get a draw, wasting time to finish the game, defending in a low block to defend the result, even if we draw it was not fair. We deserved the three points but it's football. I feel proud of my players because they showed in a very difficult moment, the mentality, the team spirit, the organisation to try until the last minute to win the game."

Wolves return to action against Chelsea in the league on Saturday, 8 November, before the international break. In Pereira’s penultimate game in charge, the Blues earned a 4-3 win over Wolves in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. After racing into a three-goal lead thanks to efforts from Andrey Santos, Tyrique George and Estevao, Chelsea were stunned when Wolves duo Tolu Arokodare and David Moller Wolfe reduced the arrears. Jamie Gittens restored the visitors' two-goal advantage with a stunning strike, before defender Moller Wolfe scored again in stoppage time.