O’Neil and Edwards in frame as Wolves seek Vítor Pereira replacement

Wolves could turn to their former head coach Gary O’Neil after sacking Vítor Pereira, with Middlesbrough’s Rob Edwards another leading candidate. Pereira was sacked on Sunday morning, less than 24 hours after a 3-0 defeat at Fulham as the Wolves hierarchy acknowledged the squad had lost belief in his methods.

Pereira replaced O’Neil last December with the club 19th in the Premier League and Wolves are again at severe risk of relegation, bottom of the division after securing two points from their opening 10 matches. Wolves’s last league win was in April.

Wolves have sounded out O’Neil about a shock return, while they have a longstanding admiration for Edwards, a former Wolves player and under-23s coach who previously took caretaker charge in 2016. Wolves would have to pay compensation to Boro if they were to pursue Edwards.

Wolves’ Yerson Mosquera (third right) scores Fulham’s third with an own goal. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images/Reuters

O’Neil has been out of work since he was sacked but left on reasonable terms and knows many of the squad. In the summer Edwards joined Boro, who are second in the Championship, on a three-year contract. Pereira is represented by the super-agent Jorge Mendes, whose Gestifute agency has longstanding links with Wolves. Mendes could put forward other candidates for the role.

Pereira salvaged the club’s Premier League status last season after succeeding O’Neil but conceded Saturday’s defeat was the worst performance of his 11-month reign. The Portuguese signed a new three-year contract on 18 September but just 45 days on, Pereira, a candidate for Premier League manager of the season in 2024-25, was dismissed. It is understood the severance package due to Pereira is not significantly different from his previous contract, which expired in June 2026.

Wolves had been reluctant to sack Pereira despite an abysmal start. They sought stability after a churn of managers since the exit of Nuno Espírito Santo – another Mendes client – in 2021 but recognised that was unachievable after Saturday’s collapse, during which supporters again turned on Pereira. Wolves have conceded a league-high 22 goals this season, including eight in their past three matches.

Fosun, the Chinese conglomerate that owns Wolves, accepts there are issues with the makeup of the squad as a result of the summer recruitment and recognises, in hindsight, that Pereira perhaps had too much autonomy. In June Wolves appointed Domenico Teti, an ally of Pereira, to the role of director of football after the pair worked together in the Saudi Pro League at Al-Shabab, his previous club.

Vítor Pereira urges his Wolves players on at Fulham. His efforts proved in vain. Photograph: Dan Istitene/Getty Images

Wolves sold Matheus Cunha to Manchester United and Rayan Aït-Nouri to Manchester City in the summer, while Nelson Semedo, the club captain, rejected a new deal in favour of joining Fenerbahce on a free. Pereira was influential in recruitment but unhappy the club, in some cases, landed their fifth-choice targets.

All eight of Pereira’s backroom staff have also exited. “Vítor and his team worked tirelessly for Wolves and helped guide us through a challenging period last season, for which we are grateful,” said Wolves’s executive chair, Jeff Shi.

“Unfortunately, the start to this season has been a disappointment and, despite our strong desire to give the head coach time and matches to find an improvement, we have reached a point where we must make a change.”

Wolves said the under-21s’ head coach, James Collins, and under-18s’ head coach, Richard Walker, will take training while they “finalise the appointment” of Pereira’s successor. Wolves’s next match is at Chelsea on Saturday.

“It has been a privilege to manage Wolverhampton Wanderers and experience unique moments with this club and its supporters,” Pereira said in a social media post on Sunday. “I wish the club all the best for the rest of the season.”