Wolves confirm Vítor Pereira as head coach after sacking Gary O’Neil

56-year-old Portuguese has won domestic titles in Greece, ­Portugal and China

Vítor Pereira has won domestic titles in Greece, ­Portugal and China and coached in seven countries. Photograph: Ricardo Moreira/Getty Images
Vítor Pereira has won domestic titles in Greece, ­Portugal and China and coached in seven countries. Photograph: Ricardo Moreira/Getty Images

Wolves have confirmed the appointment of Vítor Pereira as their head coach on an 18-month contract. The Portuguese has joined from the Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab as the successor to Gary O’Neil, who was sacked on Sunday.

Pereira, who has won domestic titles in Greece, ­Portugal and China, took training for the first time on Thursday. He arrives with Wolves second-bottom of the Premier League after four straight defeats. His first game will be on Sunday at Leicester, who are two places and five points above Wolves.

The 56-year-old Pereira has coached in seven countries – Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Turkey, Germany, China and Brazil – and has only once spent more than two years at a club. Wolves are the fifth club he has been in charge of since the longest stint of his career, in Shanghai, ended in December 2020.

The Wolves chairman, Jeff Shi, said: “This is a challenging moment for the club and we want to thank Vitor for taking on this responsibility. We have full confidence in his ability to guide us back on track, alongside the players and staff, and the entire club will be united in supporting him to achieve success.” – Guardian