Vitor Pereira: New Wolves Boss, Known for Global Career and Intense Managerial Drive

Vitor Pereira has taken over as Wolves’ manager, replacing Gary O’Neil. This appointment marks the realization of Pereira’s long-held ambition to coach in the Premier League. Pereira, a Portuguese national, pursued this Premier League opportunity for over ten years before being selected by Wolves to follow Gary O’Neil. His prior absence from English management is, according to his own statements, partly attributable to “an addiction” to the profession, which made him reluctant to remain unemployed for extended periods. This strong drive to work influenced several career decisions he made after securing consecutive Primeira Liga titles with Porto in 2012 and 2013. Pereira previously recounted to Canal 11, “I was convinced I’d go to Everton [in 2013]. I had attended a meeting with them and was expecting to move to the English league, which was my obsession. And suddenly, because I lacked patience, I changed direction. The addiction was so strong – and it still is – but back then, the addiction was overwhelming, and I couldn’t go so long without being active. I didn’t end up going to Everton because my English was poor, very poor. I struggled with the language. I went to a meeting and didn’t understand half of what was said to me.” Instead, Spaniard Roberto Martinez was appointed, and Pereira subsequently joined Saudi club Al-Ahli. Significant developments have occurred since then, including an improvement in Pereira’s English proficiency. The 56-year-old’s career trajectory has shifted from being a highly regarded professional, whom Jose Mourinho once described as “more than an assistant manager” – with many in Portugal attributing more influence to him than to Andre Villas-Boas during Porto’s historic treble campaign in 2010-11 – to becoming a manager who has worked for numerous clubs. Pereira has held various coaching positions internationally, including in Saudi Arabia (Al-Ahli and Al-Shabab), Greece (Olympiacos), Turkey (Fenerbahce), Germany (1860 Munich), China (Shanghai SIPG), and Brazil (Corinthians and Flamengo). The Premier League presented further opportunities on several occasions, but he was not considered suitable for those roles. Pereira informed Mais Futebol, “I did many job interviews with English clubs. On one occasion, I was already preparing for my debut match…” Pereira’s current objective is to demonstrate that his patience was justified by guiding Wolves, who are currently facing difficulties, away from relegation. Rui Quinta, Pereira’s former assistant, states, “Vitor is a self-made man.” Quinta elaborates, “He came from humble beginnings [a fishing neighbourhood in his birth town of Espinho, where the ocean sometimes flowed into his house], from a difficult social background where some of his friends went down the wrong path in life. But he chose to study, coached at youth level, then at senior level, and is now at the top.” Pereira played his entire career as a centre-back in Portugal’s lower divisions, retiring at 29 without regret. His ambition has consistently been to become a coach. This aspiration was so strong that he began preparing for a coaching career even before ending his playing days, commencing a degree in physical education in Porto. His graduation thesis focused on his preferred team, Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona. His tutor, Vitor Frade, commented, “He had a soft spot for the culture of that Barcelona team. He needed to choose a topic, and since he had this passion and could only think about football, it wasn’t a difficult decision.” Frade added, “He was only interested in football. He would tell me straight to my face: ‘I’m only here to become a coach.’ I’ve had many students writing theses on Cruyff and Barcelona, but, if you’ll excuse the expression, none of them were as nitpicky as Vitor. I believe he even went to Barcelona to watch some training sessions and had his house full of tapes.” Pereira’s dedication to learning extended further. He also journeyed to Munich to observe Pep Guardiola’s training sessions with Bayern for a week, subsequently asserting that he offered advice on resolving certain issues within the German team. Pereira recounted to Record newspaper, “We discussed Bayern’s defeat by Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final [in 2014]. I told him exactly what I thought: ‘Pep, in certain matches, you’re still exposing your defensive line during transitions. This and that are happening to you. That’s my opinion, if you want to reflect on it.’ He agreed and replied: ‘You’re right.”’ Despite his admiration for Barcelona’s style, Pereira’s teams have not consistently displayed entertaining football. Instead, he has become recognized for a tactically adaptable methodology, which he terms a ‘transformer structure,’ enabling his teams to alter their system mid-game. Nevertheless, this flexibility has occasionally been excessive, leading to criticism from his players who noted discrepancies between training methods and match-day tactics. Former Brazil international Giuliano stated, “There were situations [at Corinthians] where we played with a back five, which we had never trained for. One day, he said: ‘Look, I’ve realised this doesn’t work.’ But in the very next match, there we were with a back five again. That kind of thing frustrated the players.” However, this was not the primary concern in his more recent managerial positions. Pereira has acknowledged deficiencies in his communication abilities, which have been evident in his interactions with both the media and his players. He faced widespread criticism, for which he later apologized, after referencing his financial assets when questioned in a news conference about potential job insecurity. He responded to a reporter in Brazil, “You must be joking with me, mate. You’ve got to be kidding me with that question. At this stage of my life, of my career, do you think I’m afraid of losing my job? Do you have any idea how much money I’ve got in the bank, mate? My life is stable, I don’t need to worry… I’m here at Corinthians, and if it’s not Corinthians, it’ll be another club. Whenever I want.” Pereira’s temperament and candor can also create issues within the team’s changing room. His volatile disposition and uncompromising attitude have previously caused friction with some players. Pereira is known for being hot-headed and for expressing his thoughts directly to those he believes need to hear them. He attributes this aspect of his personality to his humble origins, viewing it also as a form of self-preservation. He has also stated his difficulty in managing “spoiled players,” whom he describes as “rich kids that have never suffered, and don’t know how to suffer in life.” Following his departure from Corinthians after only 10 months in 2022, several players from the club publicly expressed their satisfaction. Winger Roger Guedes commented, “We were happy that he was leaving, I don’t need to lie.” Managing his intense personality will be crucial for his success with Wolves in his inaugural Premier League campaign. Quinta observed, “Sometimes he goes overboard with the amount of time he spends worrying about things related to the team and the players.” Quinta added, “I’ve told him this a few times