Wolves are set to announce the arrival of Vitor Pereira as the Old Gold’s new manager, taking over from Gary O’Neil.
After O’Neil was sacked after Wolves’ defeat to Ipswich Town, it quickly became clear that Pereira would be the man to succeed the Englishman.
Wolves have been in talks with Pereira over the job at Molineux, sounding out the Al-Shabab coach to take control of the squad promptly.
Pereira is set to be in charge when Wolves face Leicester City, giving the 56-year-old a significant challenge to overcome in his first days in the West Midlands.
Rodrigo Gomes of Wolverhampton Wanderers celebrates after scoring his team's third goal with Pedro Lima during the Stateside Cup pre-season match b...
Photo by Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
Vitor Pereira must hand more minutes to young players
Compton Park is preparing for change as the new boss and his coaching staff are set to embark on the next chapter of their career.
The squad are set to meet Pereira on Wednesday [18/12/24], when it’s thought the coach will sign a deal with the Premier League club.
Pereira is expected to sign a 1.5-year contract at Wolves, bringing his 10-month stay in Saudi Arabia to a close.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to indicate the size of the job the Portuguese will take on at Molineux, with several hurdles for the boss to immediately attempt to clear.
Rank Club Minutes % of minutes
16th Crystal Palace 926 6%
17th Arsenal 696 4%
18th Wolves 473 3%
19th Fulham 11 0.1%
20th West Ham 11 0.1%
Data shown on Sky Sports Monday Night Football
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One less pressing issue became clear during Sky Sports Monday Night Football [16/12/24], where an alarming graphic displayed the lack of minutes O’Neil handed to younger players in his squad.
Only Fulham and West Ham United have given fewer minutes to players aged 22 or younger this season in the Premier League than Wolves, telling of something Pereira must improve.
Wolves aren’t showing trust in academy talent
It’s rather puzzling considering the ages of the players that O’Neil and Matt Hobbs signed during the summer transfer window.
Five of the deals that Wolves tied up in the summer were for players 22 or younger, signing Tommy Doyle, Rodrigo Gomes, Pedro Lima, Bastien Meupiyou and Carlos Forbs.
While it’s a blow for those who made the move to Wolves, it’s an even bigger one for the talent already in the academy.
Wolves haven’t given any minutes to academy players in the Premier League this season, signifying one of many errors O’Neil was making at Molineux.
Naturally, Pereira’s first concern will be to solve the issues within his first team however, the manager could strike gold by simply considering handing greater opportunities to younger fringe players.
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