Vítor Pereira speaks to Portuguese newspaper about Wolves transfer plans – Viktor Gyokeres a bit difficult…
Vítor Pereira is minded to encourage Wolves shopping in Portugal this summer, where he believes there’s value to be had in the transfer market.
The Premier League club have a long record of signing players from Liga Portugal, with Rúben Neves being the blockbuster arrival which made everyone take notice. A lot of the business was masterminded by Jorge Mendes, who became Uncle Jorge for a period for Wolves supporters.
Optimism has been building at Wolves since Pereira became manager and he sounds encouraged to again look towards the Portuguese league to improve his squad for more Premier League battles next season.
Pereira has been speaking to Record, and told the Portuguese newspaper there’s one player in Portugal he’d like more than anyone else. He was also open about outgoings expected in the coming weeks.
On the immediate impact he had at Wolves, Pereira said: “I realised that the results did not reflect the individual quality of the players and that it was possible to improve the team, particularly from a defensive point of view, to make it more balanced and more consistent from a tactical point of view.
“And so, essentially, I gave them confidence. The impact on the fanbase was something that surprised me a little, because it was immediate. When I arrived, they had just lost to Ipswich at home. Then, against Leicester, we won 3-0 and they chanted my name, something I honestly did not expect.”
When it comes to squad improvement, Pereira said it’s vital to get the strength required for the Premier League: “This is a crucial period, in which we are losing players, and important ones, and in which we are analysing solutions, meeting… In this league, without a good squad, it is very complicated. The Premier League punishes those who make mistakes cruelly and we cannot make them.”
Record then, perhaps inevitably, asked if he’s looking for solutions in Portugal, to which the Wolves manager replied: “We have a lot of quality here. Many quality players, coaches and not only in football, in all areas. We don’t value them much, but I have traveled the world and I feel that they look at the Portuguese and recognise that they are competent and hard-working.”
Asked if he had a blank cheque, which Liga Portugal player he’d buy, Pereira said: “I won’t say, but the name came straight to my mind.”
Record then outright asked if it’s Viktor Gyokeres: “Oh Gyokeres… I can’t even think about that anymore, he’s on a different level. But there are several players in Portugal that I would come [to get] all the time. Although Portugal is already selling for a high price. Wolverhampton has to look for clubs that aren’t the big ones, because it’s already very difficult to hire at the big ones.”
Perhaps not Viktor then.
Wolves have already seen outgoings and there’s likely to be more on the way. Record specifically asked about Nélson Semedo and Gonçalo Guedes: “I don’t even know what’s going to happen at the moment. I’m trying to understand the departures to see who’s coming in. Regarding Nélson Semedo, I still don’t know what the decision will be. We made him a contract renewal proposal and he had to make a decision, so I don’t think it has been made yet.
“I’m not sure about Gonçalo Guedes either, because he has a contract with us, I like him, but he’s been there for a few years and has this ambition to leave, mainly because he’s been there for a few years… Let’s see if it’s possible or not.
“We need to find a solution. Now Matheus Cunha, an important player for us, has left for Manchester United. I don’t know if Aït-Nouri, who was being negotiated with Manchester City, is already…”
Finally, the Wolves manager going to the pub regularly has really intrigued the Portuguese media, where his trips to mix with the locals are covered repeatedly. Record wanted to know more about this: “In Portugal, it’s hard to understand. In a small town like Wolverhampton, the pub is the only thing that exists. Here we associate the word pub with something related to the night, to going out at night… But it’s a restaurant, where families go, where people go to eat, drink, watch football and play darts. While we were in trouble, I didn’t have time, I would leave very late and go straight home.
“When things started to stabilise and we could breathe a little… I live alone, so I either stay locked up at home alone or go there a bit. And I realised right away, the first time I went, that the people who were there were the people who all went to the stadium on Sunday to watch the game. One day I went to one, then people asked me to go to another, another day I went to another and ended up meeting many, many, many people, in a spontaneous and genuine way.”
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