Wolves tempt Vitor Pereira from Saudi Arabia for EPL survival mission

WOLVERHAMPTON, England (AP) — Premier League struggler Wolverhampton hired much-traveled coach Vitor Pereira on Thursday after he decided to leave Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia.

The 56-year-old Portuguese coach takes over a team in next-to-last place in England's top flight, with just two wins from 16 games. Wolves are five points from safety approaching the halfway point in the league.

Gary O'Neil was fired on Sunday — a day after a 2-1 loss to relegation rival Ipswich — after 16 months in charge.

Wolves have paid the release clause in Pereira's contract with Al Shabab. In the past 15 years, he has coached in his native Portugal, Greece, Turkey, Germany, China, Brazil and Saudi.

His most successful spell was at Porto, which he led to league titles in 2012 and 2013 — losing just one match across two campaigns.

Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said Pereira "will bring a new approach for the test ahead."

"This is a challenging moment for the club, and we want to thank Vitor for taking on this responsibility," Shi said. "We have full confidence in his ability to guide us back on track."

Pereira has signed an 18-month deal. His first match in charge will be at Leicester on Saturday.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer