Vitor Pereira sacked by Wolves after winless start to Premier League season

Wolverhampton Wanderers have sacked head coach Vitor Pereira just 45 days after he signed a new three-year contract with the club.

Pereira’s final game in charge was Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Fulham which the 57-year-old described as his side’s “worst performance” of his tenure.

The result left Wolves bottom of the Premier League and without a win from their opening 10 games this season.

The Athletic reported on Sunday that Pereira had been dismissed and Wolves later confirmed the news, stating “results and performances this term have fallen below acceptable standards”.

Under-21 head coach James Collins and under-18 head coach Richard Walker will lead training while the club “finalise the appointment” of a new head coach.

The club also confirmed that all eight of Pereira’s backroom staff had departed. Director of professional football Domenico Teti, however, is not among the departures. Teti worked with Pereira in Saudi Arabia and joined Wolves in June following the departure of former sporting director Matt Hobbs.

Executive chairman Jeff Shi said: “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.”

Pereira signed a new contract at the club in September through to 2028, despite Wolves having the worst start to a league season in their history with five straight defeats.

Wolves have taken just two points from their opening 10 league matches and they exited the Carabao Cup at the last-16 stage against Chelsea on Wednesday with a 4-3 defeat.

Pereira took over from Gary O’Neil in December 2024, with the side 19th in the Premier League with only six points from their opening 19 games.

With ten wins from their remaining 22 league matches, the Portuguese coach steered Wolves to safety with a 16th-place finish.

After a six-game winning streak in April, Wolves have failed to win any of their 14 league matches since — a run which included 11 defeats, including Saturday’s loss at Fulham and last weekend’s stoppage-time defeat at home to Burnley.

After the Burnley game, Pereira appeared to argue with Wolves supporters, which followed fans chanting “you’re getting sacked in the morning” during the match. He was subjected to the chants again at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

“Two months ago they sang my name because of the work that we did last season and we are competing in the Premier League, not in the Championship,” he said following the Burnley loss.

“But I understand that now, without results, this is football now they sing my name maybe to sack me. At the end of this game, if I was a supporter, I would feel proud of my team because they worked and the players showed the mentality.”

The summer transfer window saw key players Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha depart for Manchester City and Manchester United respectively, with seven signings added to Pereira’s squad.

‘Pereira’s position had become untenable’ – analysis

Pereira’s departure from Wolves felt inevitable after last weekend’s post-match confrontation with fans following defeat to Burnley — their third loss from three games against the newly-promoted clubs.

Saturday’s dismal defeat at Fulham, which extended the winless start to the season to 10 games, was the final nail in the coffin.

Pereira’s position had become untenable, not just because of results but also a sense that he had run out of new ideas about how to turn around the grim situation.

His 31 changes to his starting line-up in the first 10 games of the league season is the highest by any Premier League manager and came along with numerous tactical shifts.

While Pereira insisted he was exploring all avenues to find a winning formula, it began to feel like a head coach thrashing around for a solution.

But while supporters had long since run out of patience with a man who, just a few months ago, had developed a close bond with them through both results and his regular post-match pub visits, few believe his departure will be a silver bullet that solves their problems.

The sub-standard squad that was assembled in the summer looks bereft of both match-changing flair and the experience and nous to grind out points.

No club with two points after 10 games has ever avoided relegation from the Premier League, so either with Pereira, or now without him, Wolves prospects look desperate.

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