The Portuguese Touch: How far can Pereira take Wolves?

Vitor Pereira is a miracle worker.

Tactically he is a genius. From a man-management point of view, he is unshakeable. The whole Matheus Cunha debacle was dealt with consummate ease – after a tumultuous week on social media, the Brazilian ended up sealing the win against Tottenham and beaming with joy while doing it.

Pereira seems able to deal with any challenge the Premier League and public life throws at him.

But just how far can he take Wolves?

In his words: “We continue to rise.” How high? Time will tell.

This season, at least, he has openly said: “17th is not acceptable, it’s not a success.” Understandably so. While this was his sole objective when he arrived, he has set a much higher standard than that, and deserves more. As high as 13th place is still anyone’s, and no one is in finer fettle than ourselves right now.

In fact, if the season had started when he walked through the doors, it would be 16 games deep and Wolves would be sat in eighth place on 26 points, three points off a Champions League spot.

Momentum is vital. Building it is hard. Pereira has made that bit look easy. He has unified the club, fans and city. The last time a team that looked as utterly broken and doomed to relegation ended the season like this was a certain Leicester City.

We all know what happened next.

Claudio Ranieri, amidst all his charisma, understood the power of momentum. Pereira carries a similar aura to the Italian. Passion is priceless, and his “man of the people” vibes are helped massively by his post-match drinks with fans in the local pub, like a real-life Ted Lasso.

So, with the wind in his sails and the city behind him – who knows? One thing’s for certain though – Pereira’s ambition is relentless. And after mistakes made in the past, primarily in not backing managers, it feels like the club is duty-bound to match it. To lose what we have now would be unforgivable, and the absolute final straw for most.

Vitor is special, and he has given us our club back. Much like times gone by under Nuno Espirito Santo, the city of Wolverhampton has a smile on its face once again: charming, warm, and of the Portuguese persuasion. A match made in football heaven.