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Wolves appoint Pereira as new head coach in place of sacked O'Neil

Updated
Vítor Pereira had previously managed Flamengo
Vítor Pereira had previously managed FlamengoČTK / AP / Thiago Ribeiro

Portuguese coach Vitor Pereira will take over as head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers, currently 19th in the Premier League, the club announced on Thursday.

As widely reported, Pereira was Wolves' ideal candidate to succeed the sacked Gary O'Neil.

The English club will even pay the termination clause of Pereira, who has been in charge of Saudi Arabian club Al Shabab since February, having renewed his contract in June for another season.

O'Neill was let go on Sunday after 16 months in charge of the English club.

“We are delighted to welcome Vitor Pereira to Wolves as the new head coach of our men’s first team," Chairman Jeff Shi said.

"Vitor is a highly respected and experienced coach who has achieved success across different leagues and will bring a new approach for the test ahead.

“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.”

The former Porto coach Pereira had already been close to coaching in England and even met with Everton, but the situation never progressed.

Despite never having coached in the Premier League, Pereira is well-regarded by the Wolves board, who are in second-to-last place in the league with just nine points and on the back of four consecutive defeats.

The manager's first game in charge will come on Sunday, December 22nd against Leicester.