Wolverhampton Wanderers are allegedly giving consideration to appointing yet another Portuguese head coach.
On Sunday, the Premier League's bottom club announced that they had sacked Vitor Pereira after a 14-match winless streak in the division stretching back to the end of April.
Gary O'Neil was initially earmarked for a shock return to Molineux before he withdrew from the race, potentially through the backlash from supporters given that the Englishman was only sacked 11 months ago.
Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards has since emerged as the bookmakers favourite, yet the former Wolves player, coach and Under-23s manager only moved to the Riverside Stadium five months ago.
As such, Wolves appear no nearer to confirming a full-time successor to Pereira before Saturday's Premier League fixture at Chelsea, the final game before the November international break.
Panathinaikos head coach Rui Vitoria during a post match press conference for his side's match against The New Saints, on December 12, 2024
Wolves 'considering' Rui Vitoria appointment
According to PA Media, Fosun International may now turn their attention to bringing another Portuguese manager to Molineux in the form of Rui Vitoria.
The 55-year-old was most recently at Panathinaikos where he recorded 22 wins, 10 draws and 11 defeats before being sacked on September 15.
However, he is best known for his success at Benfica and Al-Nassr, winning back-to-back Portuguese titles between 2015 and 2017 as well as lifting the Saudi Pro League trophy at the end of 2018-19.
Nevertheless, Vitoria has since had unsuccessful spells with Spartak Moscow, Egypt and Panathinaikos. most notably overseeing Egypt's winless 2023 Africa Cup of Nations campaign where they were eliminated by DR Congo in the last 16.
Like Pereira, Vitoria enjoyed significant success earlier in his career without making a notable impact in his most recent roles, something which will be of obvious concern to Wolves supporters.
Wolverhampton Wanderers chairman Jeff Shi in May 2025.
The Portuguese story to continue...
There is no doubting that Wolves have benefitted from having Portuguese personnel at the club with Nuno Espirito Santo, Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves and the late Diogo Jota all viewed as club legends.
However, three of Wolves' last five managerial appointments have been Portuguese, Bruno Lage also included in the list.
An association with super-agent Jorge Mendes means that the aforementioned links can be expected, yet the general consensus among the fanbase is that Wolves require a fresh start with a British or Irish manager at the helm.
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