Vitor Pereira is preparing to take the reins at Wolves and the new manager already has a tough job on his hands.
Pereira’s move to Wolves is underway as the Portuguese heads to England to finalise his deal at Molineux.
The 56-year-old will leave Al-Shabab to replace Gary O’Neil, who was sacked after the Old Gold’s defeat to Ipswich Town.
It’s straight into the action for Pereira, who will be in charge of Wolves’ clash against Leicester City, giving the coach the opportunity to make an instant impact.
Romain Saiss was Vitor Pereira’s captain at Al-Shabab
The squad will soon meet Pereira, who will be handed the task of turning a group of players low on confidence into a side capable of challenging in the Premier League.
As Wolves sit down in 19th in the Premier League table, the Portuguese already has a sizeable job on his hands however, he’s clued up on what’s required from certain individuals.
At Al-Shabab, Pereira was exposed to some players of great experience, including a player well-loved at Molineux, Romain Saiss.
Romain Saiss of Al Shabab celebrates after scoring the team's 3rd goal during the Saudi Pro League match between Al-Shabab and Al-Hilal at Al-Shaba...
Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images
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The centre-back, who left Wolves in 2022, spent a season on loan at Al-Shabab from Qatari club Al-Saad, where Pereira quickly noticed the defender’s leadership skills.
Saiss captained Al-Shabab under Pereira’s reign, suggesting that the soon-to-be new manager has a clear understanding of what a leader should look like.
The 56-year-old’s arrival comes at an interesting time as Wolves’ captaincy just changed, seeing Nelson Semedo take the armband from Mario Lemina.
Saiss was a valued leader at Wolves before his departure, and if Pereira can bring such commitment to the armband back to Molineux, then fans will be happy.
Wolves need a leader to step up
Lemina was stripped of the armband due to his actions at full-time against West Ham, where the midfielder embarrassed himself after the Old Gold’s defeat.
Lemina’s actions against West Ham were branded ‘horrible’ by Wolves expert Liam Keen, who was far from impressed with the former skipper’s behaviour.
Lack of leadership has been a problem at Molineux this season, with no figure stepping up when required, something that Pereira must seek to change.
Wolves’ experienced players were slammed against Everton for failing to take accountability for their actions, which Pereira surely won’t accept.
Having worked closely with an exemplary leader such as Saiss, the Portuguese will have a clear expectation of the figure who sports the armband, in what’s set to be an interesting shake-up in the squad.
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