LATEST NEWS FROM VITOR PEREIRA'S PRESS CONFERENCE
I can’t speak about my place. I cannot comment on the players of Girona and the other clubs. Every day there seems to be a new player in the media. Every day, every day.
More generally, you said last week that you needed to add at least three players. You’ve added Jackson since then. Have you seen the game against Manchester City? What areas are you looking to strengthen with those two players?
Yes, the club is working hard because they know what we need from the start. They are working, and I believe we can bring in the players we need to raise competition inside the group.
There are still reports of players leaving the club. Jorgen Strand Larsen has been linked heavily. Could you tell us how important he is to the team?
For us, he is a very important player. I haven’t talked to him about that. He is our player. When I watch him in training, he is committed to everyone and the team. He is a fighter and likes to win. He is preparing himself to play tomorrow.
Could Wolves afford to lose a key player between the team and the transfer window?
I don’t know. The market is the market. When the window is open, players can come and go. That is football.
How confident are you that Wolves will be in a stronger position at the end of the transfer window than at the start?
I believe we have a good team and the right conditions. We are still building our style because we have different players this season. Some we lost from the first eleven. This is a time to rebuild behaviours and connect everyone. We know what we are doing and what we want for the future. They are working well in the way I like. Because of that, I’m positive.
This is your first summer in England with the transfer window. Is it challenging to negotiate transfers while coaching?
No, not only in England. Everywhere it’s tough. This time is not easy for managers. We push for the players we need, but at the same time, we risk losing players we want to keep. But in the end, I believe we will be able to compete for points with everyone.
Looking back at the game against Manchester City, where do you think you need to improve?
A lot of things. But we did some good things too. We made a compact team, which is what we do every week against opponents. We always review what we did well and what to correct. We did many things well. When we made mistakes against such top players, of course they scored. They scored four goals from five shots on target. That doesn’t happen often.
We went too many times into the team’s last line, the final pass, the last cross in the box, and missed it because of movement or touch. We had chances to score as well.
Looking at Bournemouth, they surprised many with their approach against Liverpool last week. They had a good go at the Champions League. We played them twice last season, in the cup and the league.
They are a brave team with identity, strong and with good players. That wasn’t a surprise to me.
For me, it is about us, about how we play, the style and intensity we put in. It’s about what we can do to improve as a team and individually. From the last game, we can correct our mistakes. This is the process. I believe in work, not words. It’s about working hard to get better.
Is it difficult to create an identity for Wolves with so many players coming and going?
Not for me. Of course, it takes time to connect with the players and get results, especially if we lose key players. But it’s a task I’m used to. I’m not afraid of hard work or the future. I’m very confident in my players, the club, and the supporters. We will do it together.
Losing by four goals is tough for the players, even against top teams. Did you have to lift the players after that?
Looking back at last season, I remember we lost four games in a row too. We can’t control the results. What matters is the spirit of the team. My players were brave. They tried to play and press. We created problems for the opponents but didn’t score.
We defended well, staying compact most of the time. But when they scored two goals in five minutes, we had to take risks. You either wait and hope not to concede more, or believe in yourself and try to score to change the game. We had a big chance to score and kept fighting after the 30th minute. I like that spirit. This is a tough time, but I can see what we need and want to be as a team.
You mentioned Bournemouth. Your team has changed since last season, and theirs has too. How much can you learn from early-season games like that?
Tomorrow will be a very tough game. Bournemouth causes problems for opponents, but we have qualities that can cause problems as well. It will be tough, but we will go there to compete for three points. I can’t say if we will get a result, but we will compete.
Would it be better if all transfer windows closed before the first game? That would make life easier, wouldn’t it?
Of course, but football isn’t like that. It’s also a business and a busy time for clubs. Sometimes you sign top players, but you can’t build a strong team spirit. It’s not about spending lots of money; it’s about making the right choices and building good connections. That means hard work and building energy between players, the club, the city, and supporters. Together, we can do great things.
summary
New signing Jackson Tchatchoua is available after training with the team, but “a decision will be made tomorrow” to see whether he will be involved. When asked about the defender’s qualities, Pereira replied: “He is a fast winger that can also play as a wing-back. He has strength and he is powerful. He likes to attack the space and he knows how to create problems in the system we play.”
Jorgen Strand Larsen is “committed” to the club and “preparing to play” this weekend, despite being linked with a move to Newcastle United. He added: “He is a very important player for us. I haven’t spoken with him about it, but he is committed.”
However, Pereira highlighted that “players can come and players can leave” up until the transfer window shuts.
The club is “working to get the last few players” through the door before the transfer window shuts, but he didn’t want to speak about the links to Girona’s Ladislav Krejci.
On losing key players such as Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri this summer, he said: “I believe we will still have a good team left. We’ve lost some players but we still have players that have always been in the first XI. We know what our vision is for the future, so the players are working very hard and in a way that I like – because of that I’m positive [about this group].”
He admitted that it “isn’t easy” for managers to manage their squad while the transfer window is still open because “every time we push for players that we need and we can also lose players that we want”.
Despite the 4-0 defeat, he was happy with the “true spirit, bravery and pressing” he saw against Manchester City: “We did a lot of things well, but when we commit a mistake against top players then of course they will score. I think they had five shots on target and scored four goals, this isn’t something that happens a lot. We had our chances to score also.”
On facing Bournemouth: “They are a brave team, they have an identity, they are strong and they have good players. It’s about doing what we can to improve as a team and as individuals. We can correct some of the mistakes from the last game. I believe the best way to work is to work hard to be better and better.”
He is anticipating a “very tough game” and he doesn’t know if they will get a result, but the players will be ready to “go there and compete” for the three points.