Vitor Pereira is leaving Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab to immediately take charge of the English Premier League club.
Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers have hired well-traveled coach Vitor Pereira from Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab.
The 56-year-old Pereira takes over a team that sits second-to-last in England’s top flight with just two wins from 16 games. The Wolves are five points from safety and approaching the halfway point of the league.
Gary O’Neil was sacked as manager after 16 months on Sunday – a day after a 2-1 defeat to relegation rivals Ipswich Town.
“Pereira trained at Compton Park for the first time on Thursday and will take charge when Wolves travel to Leicester City this weekend,” Wolves said in a statement ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash at the King Power Stadium.
Wolves have paid the release clause in Pereira’s contract with Al Shabab and the Portuguese have signed an 18-month contract at Molineux.
Welcome to Wolves, Vitor 🤝
– Wolves (@Wolves) December 19, 2024
After the Leicester game, Wolves face Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur later this month.
“This is a challenging moment for the club and we would like to thank Vitor for taking on this responsibility,” Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said.
“We have full confidence in his ability, alongside the players and staff, to get us back on track and the whole club will come together to support him to achieve success.”
Pereira first made a name for himself at Porto as assistant to Andre Villas-Boas, who moved to Chelsea in 2011, leaving his protégé to take over the management of the Portuguese club.
Pereira won the Primeira Liga twice with Porto before signing with Saudi club Al Ahli in 2013 and embarking on a globetrotting career that saw him manage clubs such as Olympiakos Piraeus, Fenerbahce, Shanghai Port and Flamengo.
Al Shabab are currently in sixth place in the Saudi Pro League after 13 games and are 13 points behind leaders Al-Ittihad with seven wins and four defeats this season.
The team is currently in Qatar for a training camp before their next league game at another of Pereira’s former clubs, Al Ahli, on January 10.
Let’s go! 💪🏼🤍🖤
The start of the Doha camp 🏕️ pic.twitter.com/A329LVbu0g— AlShabab Saudi Club (@AlShabab_EN) December 18, 2024
