Wolves sack Vitor Pereira: Gary O’Neill and Rob Edwards interested in search for club’s new head coach | Soccer News

Gary O’Neill and Rob Edwards are two managers to watch as Wolves look to replace Vitor Pereira, who was sacked on Sunday.

Mr O’Neill was previously director at Molineux. He was appointed head coach in August 2023 and led Wolves to a 14th place finish and the FA Cup quarter-finals in his first season.

Following a poor start to his second season, O’Neill was sacked in December 2024 and replaced by Pereira.

Edwards currently manages Middlesbrough, who are second in the Championship.

Edwards has his own history with Wolves, having made over 100 appearances for the club during his playing days.

Wolves parted ways with Pereira after starting the Premier League season without a win in 10 games. They lost 3-0 to Fulham on Saturday.

The defeat follows Wednesday’s 4-3 loss to Chelsea in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, leaving the Midlands club with just two points from their first 10 Premier League games this season, with eight points hanging in the balance. No club has ever survived with less than two points at this stage of a Premier League season.

Pereira’s sacking came just 45 days after he signed a new three-year contract with Wolves, who were at the bottom of the league after losing their first four games.

Wolves are the only team in England’s top four divisions without a win, with their poor form continuing under the former Porto manager.

How Wolves collapsed under Pereira

Adam Bate of Sky Sports:

Vitor Pereira’s last appearance on the pitch as Wolves manager was a terrible one. Brazil midfielders Andre and Joao Gomez were applauded in the morning as the away supporters at Craven Cottage chanted for him to be sacked.

The pair were a little separated from the rest of the team, having been on the bench in the 3-0 defeat against Fulham. It was the latest decision to leave fans perplexed and symbolized the collapse of Wolves’ rock-bottom situation under Pereira.

Molineux’s problems are arguably deeper than Pereira’s, as he has two points from 10 Premier League games and is likely to be relegated after eight seasons in the top division. This is a club that has been adrift for too long.

This will be the fourth consecutive season that the Timberwolves end the calendar year with a different head coach than the one who led the team in the preseason. This is the second consecutive season in which they have not won a single game in their opening 10 games.

Other clubs may be able to deal with such upheaval and present comprehensive strategies that go beyond the manager. It’s hard to make that case for Wolves, especially considering Pereira has become central to their plans following the departure of sporting director Matt Hobbs.

The appointment of Domenico Teti as director of football, a man Pereira knew from their days together in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Shabaab, signaled an increased level of control. The failed reshuffle, which came just 45 days after Pereira secured a new three-year contract, reflected badly on chairman Jeff See.

Adam Bate examines what went wrong with the once popular Portuguese coach at Molineux

Pereira, without a league win since April, was in a desperate situation.

Analysis by Sky Sports’ Rich Morgan:

I was at Craven Cottage on Saturday to watch winless Wolves surrender 3-0 to Fulham, the club’s eighth defeat in their opening 10 Premier League games, with manager Vitor Pereira calling the sluggish performance their “worst” since replacing Gary O’Neill last December.

“I felt the team wasn’t fit today and we weren’t at the level to play against Fulham,” was the dejected Portuguese player’s frank assessment of his team’s performance in west London. “Tactically and technically we weren’t at our best because we made some mistakes and we lost a lot of passes.”

And, coupled with the fact that the club have only had two points so far after the first 10 games of a Premier League season, no team has ever been in such good form with less than two points, it seems that these words have galvanized the owners into action.

Pereira was given his marching orders on Sunday morning, just 45 days after signing a new three-year contract at Molineux. It was a reward for keeping the club in the Premier League after starting last season without a win in the opening 10 games and ultimately finishing in 16th place.

However, the writing appears to be on the wall for the former Porto manager following clashes with fans following last weekend’s dramatic 3-2 home defeat to Burnley, and whoever takes the role now faces the unenviable task of staying in the top flight, with Wolves sitting in the safe zone with eight points and without a league win since winning against Leicester City in April.

Statistics that ruined Pereira

In addition to being at the bottom of the table with just two points from 10 games, Wolves are tied for the most goals scored (7 goals conceded) (22 goals conceded). The Wolves have now gone 14 league games without a win for the first time since a 15-game winning streak from February to August 2012. Wolves become the third team in Premier League history to concede 20 or more goals in the first 10 games of consecutive seasons. (27 games in 2024/25, 22 games in 2025/26), Southampton in 1998/99 (23 games) and 1999/00 (21 games), and Bournemouth in 2022/23 (22 games) and 2023/24 (21 games), Wolves have failed to win in their opening 10 league games in both of the last two seasons (D2). 8th this season, L7 in D3 in 2024/25), the same number of times they have finished in the top four in the past 125 seasons (1926/27 and 1983/84).

Wolves next 6 games

8 November: Chelsea (a) – Premier League, kick-off 8pm – live on Sky Sports 22 November: Crystal Palace (h) – Premier League, kick-off 3pm – live on Sky Sports 3 December: Aston Villa (a) – Premier League, kick-off 2:05pm – live on Sky Sports 3 December: Nottingham Forest (h) – Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm – live on Sky Sports December 8: Man United (h) – Premier League, kick-off 8pm – live on Sky Sports December 13: Arsenal (a) – Premier League, kick-off 8pm