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A look at Vitor Pereira - the frontrunner to take the helm at Wolverhampton Wanderers

A look at Vitor Pereira - the frontrunner to take the helm at Wolverhampton Wanderers

After a difficult start to the season, Wolverhampton Wanderers have finally rolled the dice and parted ways with Gary O’Neil - and former Porto and Olympiakos boss Vitor Pereira is the leading candidate to succeed the Englishman at Molineux.

The Portuguese manager, who has become something of a journeyman in recent years courtesy of his growing globe-trotting tendencies, has had an eclectic coaching career that has taken him to 3 continents and nine clubs across the last 13 years.

With a strong reputation - almost retrospectively - in his home country, Pereira is held in high regard by those who have followed his managerial exploits to date, having earned an array of silverware, particularly in the first half of his coaching journey.

So who exactly is Vitor Pereira, and could he succeed at a club currently floundering at the base of the Premier League table? Here’s a look at the 56-year old as he prepares to embark on his first stint in English football.

[Some of the following text has been ammended from the following article: “Vitor Pereira remains a respected managerial figure in Portugal - why Everton fan uproar over his potential appointment was harsh”]

A strong desire to test himself in an elite league

A general search of the mood of Wolves supporters would suggest that, if Wolves were indeed going to appoint a Portuguese manager, most would have preferred it to have been compatriot Sergio Conceicao, who has earned a strong reputation not only in Portugal, but across the continent too. Vitor Pereira does share some obvious characteristics with Conceicao though, which may become evident quite quickly at Wolves.

In a similar vein to Conceicao, Pereira can be quite a hot-headed, passionate individual whose highly competitive nature and willingness to speak his mind can be both a blessing and a curse. His love for football is undeniable, and his self-confidence is admirable. “I really believe my next move will be to a top league in the world. I think it’s just a question of time.. He speaks openly and honestly, and that is something that can easily appease fans - though comes with the caveat of also potentially being quite disruptive.

Pereira has also a reputation as something of a tactician, and has proven capable of setting up a solid defensive outfit without having a defined or rigid formation, something which he also has in common with Conceicao. Both tasted their fair share of success at Porto, and both, despite - or maybe because of - their explosive tendencies have earned the respect of supporters since leaving the club.

Vitor Pereira has also made no secret of his ambition to manage in a division of the Premier League’s stature. Indeed, it was three years ago, after a highly successful spell in China, that Pereira stated that it was time for him to “train in one of the five major leagues. I need to prove myself in one of them.” Such an opportunity did not immediately transpire, an ill-fated return to Fenerbahce coming to fruition instead.

He has, however, been linked with a move to English football before. Everton have infamously been associated with bringing in Pereira on three separate occasions, most recently in 2022, when he came so close to signing as Rafa Benitez’s replacement, simply to be forced to back out of any deal courtesy of fan uproar.

Somewhat bewilderingly, Evertonians made their feeling clear in their preference to have Frank Lampard - a famous name who was fast tracked into the upper echelons of professional football management seemingly based purely on who he was, rather than what he had achieved as a manager - brought in as their head coach instead. Perhaps predictably, it wasn’t hugely successful.

Wolverhampton Wanderers fans, however, are by and large much more receptive to a slightly more adventurous managerial appointment, and maybe particularly one with a Portuguese passport. The success of Nuno Espirito Santo and the Portuguese contingency at the club during his era has helped build a bond between Molineux and the Iberian nation, and so, even while posessing some warranted wariness and scepticism over Pereira’s potential appointment, there is perhaps a more open-minded approach to his potential appointment. And he certainly has a much more impressive managerial CV than Frank Lampard has assembled so far.

Stunning success in the Porto hotseat

In Portugal, Vitor Pereira holds a stellar reputation due to his work with FC Porto, gaining credit almost in hindsight for his leadership of the team in his two years in charge. While his time at the club wasn’t without its shortcomings — most notably the underwhelming performances and results that came in European competitions, particularly considering the fact that he was taking over André Villas-Boas’ Europa League-winning team — he still ensured Porto remained the dominant force in Portuguese football despite some considerable spending from arch-rivals Benfica. Back-to-back league titles appeased the FC Porto faithful, for whom domestic success is always the top priority, yet he was never truly beloved by the majority of the fanbase at the time.

That may be, in part, due to who he was succeeding. Promoted to head coach after the departure of Villas-Boas, who had just led Porto to a historic treble — including an unbeaten league campaign with 27 wins, 3 draws, and no defeats — Vitor Pereira wasn’t the most inspiring choice of manager for many. Having served as assistant manager to Villas-Boas, he was given the top job with minimal top-level managerial experience, and the bar had been set incredibly high; any failure to match those achievements of his predecessor could have been seen as a failure. And the failures on the continental stage in both the Champions League and Europa League were unforgivable for many supporters.

However, Pereira arguably surpassed all expectations domestically, and proved that he was perhaps something of the tactician in Villas-Boas’ armoury. Not only did he secure two consecutive league titles, but he did so while losing just one league game over those two seasons. In fact, his second season at the helm saw an unbeaten record of 24 wins and 6 draws. While not quite as remarkable as Villas-Boas’ undefeated campaign, leading a club to a second 'invincible' season in just three years is arguably a more difficult feat, particularly considering a couple of Porto’s big stars in Hulk and Falcao that Villas-Boas had been able to call upon had been sold for big money by then.

Pereira’s Porto teams were undoubtedly still blessed with talent, featuring players like James Rodríguez, Jackson Martínez, and João Moutinho. Yet, despite having some star quality, the big-spending Benfica were clear favourites to win the league in both of his seasons at Porto, and his expert squad management and tactical expertise earned the respect of his players and galvanised them to two hugely successful campaigns. It's vital to highlight that the team he inherited wasn’t as strong as the one Villas-Boas had, and to achieve similar success with a weaker squad is a remarkable accomplishment, something he has earned credit for since his departure.

Pereira’s Porto were perhaps not always the most entertaining though. Football is a results-driven business, and results were what Pereira sought more than anything. He earned a reputation for organising his teams well and ensuring they were difficult to beat - the 33 goals conceded in 60 league matches under his stewardship perhaps testament to that - and his perceived pragmatism certainly paid off.

The season after he left, Porto managed to finish just 3rd in the league, the consistency that had delivered them such success by now non-existent. Having lost one league game in two seasons under Vitor Pereira, Porto ended up losing 7 in 2013-14 - finishing 3rd in the standings behind bitter rivals Benfica and Sporting. By a considerable distance too. After winning just one Champions League group stage match, they also finished in 3rd in Europe on a measly 5 points. It was a massive drop-off from the highs experienced under Vitor Pereira, and his time in Portugal is therefore remembered fondly, upon reflection, by the Porto faithful.

Mixed success since the highs of Porto

Upon departing FC Porto, Pereira has tasted some further success. His short stint at Olympiakos saw him take the Greek giants from 2nd in the table upon his arrival to lifting both the league trophy and domestic cup just 6 months later. He found similar success in China too, in his longest managerial stint to date, taking over Shanghai SIPG. Under his management, the club won their first ever Chinese Super League title with 68 points, the most points the club had ever earned in a single campaign.

Not all of Vítor Pereira's managerial stints have been successful, however. Indeed, it would be remiss to omit his relegation to the German third division with 1860 Munich from the record. That was undoubtedly a particularly jarring moment in his career, especially considering the fact that the decision to drop down a division and take on a job in the second tier of German football was in itself a questionable career choice.

At Fenerbahçe, there was further disappointment as he came agonizingly close but fell short, finishing as runner-up in both the league and the Turkish Cup. While guiding the team to the Europa League Round of 16, where they were eliminated by SC Braga, was a notable achievement, his overall tenure was ultimately deemed unsuccessful.

His second stint at Fenerbahçe was even less fruitful. Despite a promising start, with Fenerbahçe sitting at the top of the table despite a host of injuries, the team's depth was eventually exposed. As key players returned to fitness, the side’s form declined, and they slipped to 5th place, 14 points behind the leaders. Pereira was dismissed as a result, and they closed the gap on the league leaders to 8 points by the end of the season, finishing 2nd.

Perhaps the biggest concern for the Wolves supporters will be the fact that Vitor Pereira’s main success stories in management have come in the first half of his managerial career to date. His four most recent coaching positions at Fenerbahce, Corinthians, Flamengo and Al Shabab have been a mix of ordinary and underwhelming, and mostly short-lived. They have been eventful in their own way though, as you may expect from a manager who wears his heart on his sleeve. Nevertheless, outside of the public eye of European football fans, it is fair to say that he has done little in the way of enhance his reputation further, and you could argue that he is only landing a job at Molineux based on past glories rather than any tangible recent success. Based on that, you could understand why Wolves fans are wary and not entirely impressed by this potential appointment.

And yet, in the eyes of many followers of the Portuguese game, Vitor Pereira is still considered a genuine elite-level coach. That may be strange to say considering his recent lacklustre ventures in management, but he certainly has plenty of admirers. Plenty wanted him to replace Fernando Santos at the helm of the Portugal national team upon his departure after the 2022 World Cup, while few could understand the fury of Everton supporters when they essentially blocked his move to Merseyside. But this appointment is no doubt a risk, for both Wolves and Pereira.

From Wolves’ perspective, they are banking on Pereira reviving the glory days from Porto and Shanghai, and will point to the fact that even his recent managerial positions have hardly been disastrous (bar his short stint at Flamengo), having even won the Saudi Manager of the Month award as recently as April of this year. But his relegation to the German third division with 1860 Munich in 2017 will be slightly unnerving.

For Pereira, he is taking over a side that is in turmoil. With a sub-par defence that has conceded far more goals than any other Premier League outfit this season and are already 5 points adrift of safety, he has a very challenging job on his hands, and this could be a move that defines the rest of his managerial career. Guiding Wolves to safety would be a major achievement that would significantly boost his credentials and earn the respect of the Wolves faithful. A failure to pick the team up and drag them out of the bottom three could really tarnish his reputation.

One thing seems certain though; the rest of Wolves’ season should be incredibly enthralling viewing, both on and off the pitch.

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