Wolves target Vitor Pereira as new manager after Gary O'Neil sacked

Wolves are currently negotiating with Vitor Pereira, the manager of Al-Shabab, to take over as head coach following the dismissal of Gary O'Neil, who was let go by the club on Sunday.

The struggling Premier League team is eager to make a quick hire, and the compensation fee of about £800,000 needed to bring in former Porto and Olympiakos manager Pereira is not thought to be a concern.

Wolves have been exploring their choices and have reached out to potential alternatives, including former West Ham and Manchester United manager David Moyes.

However, sources within the club have informed BBC Sport that Pereira is the leading candidate for the position.

Pereira took over as head coach at Al Shabab in February and led the team to an eighth-place finish in the previous season of the Saudi Pro League. As of now, they are in sixth place, having secured seven victories out of their 13 matches.

The 56-year-old Portuguese coach secured two Primeira Liga championships with Porto in 2012 and 2013, as well as a Greek Super League title with Olympiakos in 2015.

The Wolves team won't be back for practice until Tuesday, and Pereira might take over by that time. If everything goes smoothly with the negotiations, his first match will be on Sunday against Leicester.

O'Neil was let go on Sunday morning after the team's 2-1 loss at home to Ipswich on Saturday. This defeat placed them second from the bottom of the standings, four points away from safety.

His team, which included Tim Jenkins, Shaun Derry, Ian Burchnall, Neil Cutler, and Woody Dewar, has also departed.

Wolves chairman Jeff Shi expressed his appreciation, saying, "We sincerely thank Gary for his commitment, dedication, and hard work throughout his time with the club. We wish him and his team all the best in their future endeavors."

The 41-year-old's exit comes just three days after Shi stated that the club was "united" in support of O'Neil following the 2-1 loss against West Ham on Monday.

Saturday’s loss marked their 11th defeat in 16 Premier League matches this season, and they have managed to secure victory only twice in the top tier.

O'Neil took over from Julen Lopetegui just four days prior to the kickoff of the 2023-24 season, and the Wolves ended up finishing in 14th place.

Wolves started this season on a low note, with seven losses and one draw in their first eight league matches.

Having gone four games without a loss, which included back-to-back victories against Southampton and Fulham, it seemed like a turning point had been reached.

However, they suffered a loss against Bournemouth, followed by a significant defeat to Everton, and then they were also beaten by West Ham and Ipswich.

They have faced difficulties on defense, allowing a league-high total of 40 goals. In fact, they have given up two or more goals in 13 out of their 16 games.

On Saturday, they fell behind after an own goal by Matt Doherty. Even though Matheus Cunha managed to score an equalizer, they ultimately lost when Jack Taylor headed in the winning goal in the 93rd minute.

Furthermore, the Molineux club has faced some challenges outside of the game, as Mario Lemina lost his role as captain following a confrontation with Jarrod Bowen from West Ham United on Monday.

On Saturday, Rayan Ait-Nouri received a second yellow card and was dismissed while walking through the tunnel after an altercation with Wes Burns. Meanwhile, Cunha got into a scuffle with Ipswich's security personnel, pushing one of them and then tearing the glasses off another's face, alongside striker Liam Delap.

After the loss, O'Neil mentioned that he had "never faced such a challenge" in coaching a team of players.

Before joining Wolves, he spent a year at Bournemouth during the 2022-23 season, playing a crucial role in keeping the south coast team from being relegated. However, he was eventually dismissed and succeeded by Andoni Iraola.