Vitor Pereira
Wolverhampton Wanderers have decided to part ways with manager Vitor Pereira after a disappointing 3-0 loss to Fulham. The defeat at Craven Cottage marked a significant setback for Wolves, who are currently at the bottom of the Premier League standings, trailing eight points behind safety. Pereira’s tenure, which began in December 2024, saw him initially guide the team to safety last season. However, the recent loss of key player Matheus Cunha to Manchester United, who activated his £62.5 million release clause, compounded the challenges for the former Porto boss. Wolves are now on the hunt for a new manager ahead of their upcoming clash with Chelsea.
Vitor Pereira said: “I’m disappointed. I’m not proud of my work, of our work, because I don’t know why. I don’t know if it’s because, mentally, we put a lot of energy in the last game against Chelsea until the last minute. But what I realised [against Fulham] was a very difficult game for us, tactically, technically, physically. We played maybe one of the worst games that we’ve played. Even with 11 players against 11, since the first minute the energy to move, the offensive dynamic, and the energy to press was not there. After five minutes, I started to realise that something is missing. But the game was balanced, because even then, they weren’t playing in a high level. But after the goal, we tried to do something, but not in our level. After the red card, it was very difficult for us.”
Pereira added: “Emmanuel Agbadou was sent-off against Fulham. I had very good feelings from the last game – especially the second half – but I don’t think two days was enough to recover for this game. But it’s my responsibility. I’m not a manager to put the responsibilities on the players, but together, we need to have a talk, and to assume the responsibilities together as a group because we cannot accept this level that we played. I’m a fighter. I never give up. I’m not this kind of person. I will try my best in the next training to mentally recover the team, to tactically recover the organisation that we need for the next game.”
He further stated: “But this is a difficult game for this evaluation. If you look for the second 45 minutes that we play against Chelsea, I could tell you that they are together. They are fighting. They are fighting to try to turn over the situation, but I can’t. We need to reflect about what happened here, because it was not the team. Before this game, if you look for the Burnley game, if you look for the Sunderland game, one half of the time we played in a good level, and the other half of the time we struggled and didn’t play in our level. We cannot play one half in our level and the other half in a different level. We must be consistent.”
Pereira concluded: “In my mind here, I thought we’ll go there – changing some players – and we can show that we can be consistent in a full game, but it was not the case. If I’m happy, I’m happy, if I’m proud, I’m proud, but I cannot represent that [vs Fulham]. I’m not proud.”
Pereira’s departure comes as Wolves face a critical period in their campaign. The loss to Fulham was exacerbated by Emmanuel Agbadou’s red card in the 36th minute, leaving Wolves to play with ten men for much of the match. Despite the setback, Pereira expressed hope in his team’s ability to regroup, citing their fighting spirit in previous matches. Wolves will need to quickly regroup as they prepare for their next Premier League fixture against Chelsea. The club’s management will be keen to appoint a successor who can instill consistency and resilience in the squad as they battle to climb out of the relegation zone.
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