Vitor Pereira says now the transfer window has closed, and his international players have returned to Compton Park, he’s confident he has the solutions to turn Wolves’ season around.
As many as 15 of the head coach’s first-team players departed for international duty recently, and he had to wait until Friday to have the full group – albeit without the injured Jorgen Strand Larsen – back on the training pitch at the same time.
The Portuguese is yet to see new signings Ladislav Krejci and Tolu Arokodare in action for Wolves yet, and although he’s expecting a tough test at Newcastle United on Saturday, it’s a challenge he’s looking to embrace.
On looking to turn things around
“Now we have everybody with us, I need to tactically and mentally build the team, because it was very difficult work. Now it's time, because now we are together, not this week because it was not possible, but next week I hope that I can start to build this tactical and mental spirit that I want to create.
“We cannot expect that when you go for a player from other leagues, in one day they will be ready, or in one week they will be ready to compete in the Premier League. The Premier League is a different league, it needs time. They need the time to understand what we want. We need to repeat and repeat again. We need to create the emotional connections between them.
“I believe that the squad has balance. The new players need time to be at their best level to show the qualities that we saw in different leagues. But now it’s the Premier League, and they need to work. I believe in the work, and I know that I will find the solutions, but I need some time.”
On a fresh start after the window
“Points and the results bring confidence to the team, and we need this confidence to believe in what we are building, what we are trying to do. We need to be constant, the new players came a bit late in the window, after the season started, and then we break for the national teams. They arrived yesterday [some internationals] and I felt that they were tired, but tomorrow we have the game, and this is what it is.
“I have had my squad just for today. I had the full squad with me, without Larsen. He’s not in condition for the game yet because the injury was a bit more serious, and now he’s trying to come back. He's an important player for us, but he's not training yet, he is with the medical department.”
On Strand Larsen staying at Wolves
“I have a very good relationship with Jorgen. We speak every day, not too much, but a bit. We are talking in our conversations. The market was closed, and now it is not time to think about the market, it's time to think about the present and the future. His concern is about the injury, not the market. I hope as soon as possible he can come to training to help the team. They are working day by day and trying to do their best to put him on the on the pitch.”
A St James' Park classic ⏪https://t.co/i6onQvZQKw pic.twitter.com/LfTsZV3VGm
— Wolves (@Wolves) September 12, 2025
On facing Newcastle away
“It is a big challenge in normal circumstance, but in these circumstances, the last two weeks I just worked with eight players and academy players. They did very good work. It was a time to realise, to understand the level that we have in the academy.
“It was time to work with the eight players, and in the day that they are very tired, it's difficult to prepare for a match like this. But this is the reality of football. We need to adapt and we'll do our best. We'll try to be organised, and we try to play, and we try to compete for the three points.”
