There was some external hilarity last week when Wolverhampton Wanderers announced that manager Vitor Pereira, in charge of the only point-less club in the Premier League, had signed a new contract. It hardly subsided when Wolves promptly lost 3-1 at home to Leeds United, a team that until then had scored once all season.

Yet Pereira’s deal makes some sense. This works both ways. If another club wants to take advantage of some itchiness – and Pereira has reached 70 matches in charge in one of his last nine appointments – then Wolves get greater compensation. If Wolves want to move Pereira on, he gets a pay-off. At a time of great flux, Wolves get some stability.

More pertinently, Pereira’s deal is a reflection of his status as one of the more popular off-field figures at Molineux, an atte

See Full Page