Wolverhampton Wanderers have sacked their Portuguese manager Vítor Pereira on Sunday after he failed to win any of his first ten matches in the English Premier League. Pereira had signed a new three-year contract last September after leading the team to safety last season. However, with only two points so far this season, the club's eight-year stay in the Premier League is in great jeopardy. The club said in a statement after a heavy 0-3 defeat to Fulham that left them bottom, eight points from safety: "Wolverhampton Wanderers have parted ways with head coach Vítor Pereira following a disappointing start to the 2025/2026 season". It added: "Upon his arrival at Molineux in December last year, Pereira and his assistants left their mark immediately, leading the team to a successful second half of the Premier League". It continued: "However, the results and performance this season fell below acceptable levels, and as a result, it was necessary to make a change in leadership", without revealing the name of Pereira's Portuguese successor. It clarified that pending his appointment, the team will be led by the under-21 and under-18 youth team coaches. Wolverhampton finished last season in 16th place, but lost the services of their legendary Brazilian striker Matheus Cunha to Manchester United, and Algerian defender Ryan Ait Nouri and Portuguese defender Nelson Semedo in the summer transfer window to Manchester City and Fenerbahçe respectively. Dissatisfaction among fans towards the Chinese company Fosun, the club's owner, has been growing for some time due to what they perceive as a lack of investment in the team. Pereira was popular with fans in the first months of his tenure, often celebrating wins with fans in pubs near the Molineux stadium. But this relationship frayed this season, and the team had to shield him from an angry confrontation with fans after the team's 2-3 defeat to Burnley last weekend. Wolverhampton's Chinese CEO Jeff Shi said: "Unfortunately, the start of this season has been disappointing. Despite our strong desire to give the manager the time and matches necessary to improve his performance, we have reached a stage where we need to make a change". Pereira, 57, was appointed less than a year ago, replacing Gary O'Neil who was sacked due to poor results. The former Porto and Fenerbahçe manager managed to turn Wolverhampton's fortunes around, finishing last season in 16th place (out of 20). He then extended his contract for three years. Wolverhampton, who are currently on a four-match losing streak, travel to London next Saturday to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
