VITOR PEREIRA PRESS CONFERENCE: BRISTOL CITY V WOLVES

Afternoon, Vitor. Just want to check on a few players ahead of Bristol City. How are Nelson Semedo, Craig Dawson, and Toti Gomes?

They’re working to recover as soon as possible. I can’t tell you how long they need to come back for the game, but I think they’re recovering well and doing good work.

Do you hope they could be available against Bristol City?

I don’t think so.

Is Andre back from Brazil and is he OK, considering his situation?

Yes, he is working with us, training and ready to play if I decide.

Let’s talk about the big news of the week. Emmanuel Agbadou, our new signing, has impressed at Wolves. How excited are you about him arriving here?

He’s a player I believe can help us. He’s strong in duels, quick for his weight, and has the technical skills to build play.

He has the qualities we need and that I like to see in a centre-back. He’s been a captain for the fans this season, showing leadership qualities as well. Yes, I think he started his first training talking and trying to communicate with the others, which is important for us.

You’ve mentioned his physical attributes, but from clips, he seems very aggressive and front-footed. What do you like about his technical skills?

He can play in three positions: left, middle, or right side. He’s a defender who has the skills to build play in the way I like.

I believe we’ve signed a very good player who will help the team improve.

You must be pleased to have made your first signing early in the window?

Yes, we’re working well. We don’t need to talk too much in the market.

I know you like hearing about news, but it’s important to get the player first, and then we can speak about him.

Can I ask about potential incomings this month? What areas are you still looking at? Would you like another defender, for example?

We’re working; the market is about opportunities, and we’re looking for some.

It depends on whether we have a chance to sign another midfielder. That’s important in my opinion. I don’t know; we’ll see what we can do.

In terms of outgoings, how is the atmosphere among the squad? January is focused on football, so how important is it to keep the squad focused with players attracting interest from other clubs?

We had a very good training session today, with good energy. The players are happy and committed, and that’s what I want to see.

Looking ahead to Bristol City, can I ask about the goalkeeper position with Sam Johnstone and José Sá? Is Bristol City a chance to give Sam a chance to show what he can do? How do you see the competition between them at the moment?

The competition is good. We have internal and external competition, and it’s important to have players competing in the same position. We also have Daniel; we have four goalkeepers.

They are working hard and are committed, and I’m happy with them. It’s a possibility for Sam in the next game to show his qualities.

Do you think they can maintain that competition all season? Sam has been number one at his previous clubs, and José has been the number one here for years. Do you think having two number ones can work for a season or two, or does one eventually come out on top?

That’s my job.

I need to decide who starts and look at their performance. If a goalkeeper performs well, I’ll stick with him. If I see the need to change, I will. It’s like with other players. In some games, we need different skills from them to surprise the opponent.

When I arrived, I had to make a decision. I started with Sá; he’s doing well. I hope he maintains this level, and we’ll see in the future.

Just finally from me, it’s the FA Cup against Bristol City this weekend. As someone who has watched English football for a long time, does the FA Cup mean something to you personally? Do you have any memorable FA Cup games from the past?

On the sofa, yeah, at my house. For sure. Yes, of course. I remember some finals of this competition. They had a fantastic atmosphere. The games and the scoring. It’s something we want to experience. But we need to treat this game as a Premier League match because this team has a lot of quality, both tactically and individually. They play at home, so they will do everything to win. We need to be at our best level, with the right mentality and ambition for this game.

You’ve managed in many places. Is there anywhere else where the Cup has such a great history as it does here?

I think not. I can give you an example. The Cup is important in Portugal, but the Champions League and the League are more important. Here, it’s a tradition. The Cup is a tradition.

I think it’s amazing because it gives small teams the chance to showcase their work and the individual quality of their players. This is a fantastic challenge. Absolutely.

But we also know that the Premier League is very important for this club. Can you prioritise both? Can you fully commit to the Cup while managing the team for the Premier League?

I think we need to focus on the next game.

The next game is against Bristol, and it’s important if we want to progress in the competition. We need to regain positive energy; this is a very important match for us.

Is it just a fact of life here, given the Premier League, that you have another big game against Newcastle soon? When selecting the team for this game, do you have to think about Newcastle as well?

Four days. With my experience, if we had only three days, it’d be difficult.

But with four days, I think we can manage.

You arrived just a few days before the transfer window opened. There’s a recruitment team here that works all the time. How are you getting on with them? Did you come in with players in mind? Have they come to you with players? How is that relationship?

They’ve done their work. They proposed some players for me to check.

That’s what we’re doing together: watching players, looking at profiles, and trying to understand if the profiles fit our needs. We can’t think about the long-term future. We need players ready to help us now. The January market isn’t for taking risks. We need to find the right players to come and help us now, not just for the future. But looking for players for this moment is important.