Wolves are falling into dangerous trap as Gary O’Neil repeat could cost them millions - opinion

The Old Gold are reportedly on the verge of agreeing a new contract with head coach Vitor Pereira, despite suffering defeats in all four Premier League matches so far this campaign.

It’s the first time Wolves have ever lost their first four league fixtures of a new season, yet the decision been made to engage in contract renewal talks. Fabrizio Romano reports Pereira is on the verge of signing a new three-year deal, with a verbal agreement already reached.

It’s a significant moment as Pereira was otherwise due to leave at the end of the season, when his current contract expires. If the Portuguese stays for the duration of his new deal, it will be the longest he’s spent at a club since his three-year stint at Shanghai SIPG from 2017 to 2020.

Wolves falling into dangerous trap

Wanderers offering Pereira a new contract is a real statement of trust in his ability to steer the club away from trouble, but is it the right time to do it? That’s the question that we and a lot of Wolves fans are asking, as it feels like a strange moment for a manager to be rewarded after such a disappointing start to a new season.

In our view, Wolves are at risk of falling into the same dangerous trap from a similar time last year. Albeit before the season began rather than a little way into it, Gary O’Neil signed a new four-year contract last August but didn’t make it to Christmas.

Just like Pereira did in his first season, O’Neil achieved great success as he led Wolves away from relegation and played exciting football, even beating some of the division’s best teams in the process. It all came unstuck in his second campaign, however, as he oversaw Wolves’ worst-ever start to a Premier League season. Sound familiar?

Now, we’re not saying Pereira will lead Wolves to relegation. In fact, there’s a good chance he does quite the opposite, given his credentials. But it’s the timing of a new contract we don’t take kindly to, and the fact it takes away some of the added pressure managers sometimes need to get results over the line at the bottom end of the table.

Pereira decision could cost Wolves millions

The decision to hand Pereira a new deal at this stage could land Wolves in serious trouble if they are still in the bottom three approaching Christmas. It’s all ifs, buts and maybes at this point, but Wanderers can’t afford to play with fire at the bottom of the standings and would surely have to consider a change in manager if they’re in a precarious position at the halfway stage.

If Pereira was on his current contract at that point, it wouldn’t cost a great deal to part ways. That completely changes with an extension, however, as Wolves would have to pay off significantly more to cover the extra years remaining. That could end up being millions.

Now, it could end up being a stroke of genius instilling so much faith in Pereira as he could go on to have a long and successful stint at Molineux. But there’s so much risk involved and it’s simply not worth taking after four straight defeats. If it were four wins, or even just a couple, it would be a completely different story.