Vítor Pereira, head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers
Vitor Pereira is inspired by “Da Vinci managers” like Arne Slot and Pep Guardiola – and now wants to “create something new” at Wolves.
The Portuguese makes his Premier League managerial bow at Leicester on Sunday in what is a crunch six-pointer at Leicester. Vastly-experienced Pereira, 56, has worked across the globe – but it is the Premier League he has always wanted.
He counts Liverpool managers past and present, Jurgen Klopp and Slot, and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola as tactical visionaries he looks up to. And, while saving 19th-placed Wolves is the job in hand, Pereira now also wants to make his own mark.
"I am a very creative guy,” he said. “I need to express myself. Football gives me the chance to create something. It is like painting. I have come here to create something new, to create something beautiful, something strong.
"I like the Da Vinci managers. The managers that are a step ahead of the others, they create new things, new football. The beautiful thing in football is the things we haven’t created yet.
"Football for me is about being surprised. [Roberto] De Zerbi came (to Brighton ) and did something different. Guardiola came and did something different, so did (Jurgen) Klopp and now Slot. We are discovering football and football continues to surprise us. That's why it is such a passion."
Pereira has succeeded Gary O'Neil in the Molineux hotseat on an 18-month contract, arriving from Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab. His CV includes a long list of clubs including Porto, where he won the league twice, Olympiacos, Shanghai SIPG, Al-Ahli, Corinthians, Flamengo, Fenerbahce and 1860 Munich.
He says his arrival in the Premier League has been 14 years in the making and claims to have been in the frame for the Everton job three times. The Merseyside club performed a U-turn on plans to hire him in 2022 after a supporter backlash.
Pereira even gave an extraordinary TV interview attempting to win fans over after emerging as the initial frontrunner following his Toffees interview – but Frank Lampard got the job.
"I was disappointed,” he reflected. “But all my life, when something goes against me, it gives me the energy to fight again for what I want. I don’t complain about my life. I have a very good one.
"I built it from nothing. I do what I want. I’m responsible for my career. I used to say football is like the air I need to breathe. When I have one month without football, then after two months without football, I need to go back to the pitch. That's why I've coached in a lot of countries because I didn’t have the patience to wait for the right job.”
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