Exclusive:'A new era at Wolves' - boss Cesar Peixoto sits down for exclusive interview

Nuno Espirito Santo took Wolves to the Premier League and, later, the Europa League and became a hero among supporters in the process.

He had a slightly bigger profile than new boss Cesar Peixoto, with Nuno having already managed Valencia and Porto before Wolves, but the similarities are clear between the compatriots.

Like Nuno, Peixoto arrives with no first hand experience of English football and he is being trusted by Wolves owners Fosun to take the club back to the top flight.

With a playing career and short managerial career dominated by Portuguese football, Peixoto will need to learn quickly what it requires to be successful in the difficult second tier of English football.

And after years of decline under Fosun, who have now owned the club for a decade, Wolves truly are entering a new era.

Regardless of the similarities between Peixoto and Nuno’s circumstances at the club, the new head coach is determined to chart his own course.

“No, it's different,” Peixoto told the Express & Star when asked if he will be influenced by Nuno’s Wolves.

“I know what Nuno achieved at the club, but I want to build my history at the club.

“I want to build my history, my way of playing, my way of working.

“My goal is to build a big family in the club, all together, a good environment, not only with the players, but also with the staff around the players, to build a new future, a new era at Wolves.

“The past is the past. I want to build the future for Wolves, to bring a way of playing that is different, with a strong capacity to have the ball, a strong capacity to press high, with a lot of quality, try to win the games, but win, play good football, and try to put Wolves in the Premier League, that's the main goal.

“But in my way, not the other way.”

Nuno and Peixoto will come up against each other this season, with the first game against West Ham coming up in September at the London Stadium, as both teams target promotion back to the Premier League.

When asked if he has spoken to Nuno since taking the job, Peixoto added: “No, I'm going my own way.

“I haven't spoken to Nuno in a lot of years. I play with him, I'm a friend of his, but I don't talk with him a lot. I wish him all the luck, but less than Wolves.”

Peixoto sat down with the Express & Star in the team’s hotel in Portugal for this exclusive interview and he cut a relaxed and focused figure.

Training sessions on the Algarve - which the Express & Star has also had exclusive access to - have been particularly intense with a focus on fitness as well as the technical and tactical aspects.

The head coach has clearly done his homework on Wolves’ substantial history as a football club, while he is well aware of the strained relationship between the fans, players and club.

The 46-year-old is keen for his team to reflect the hard-working and passionate fan base, while he has called for fans to draw a line under last season and focus on unity ahead of the upcoming campaign.

“As you see in the training sessions, I put the guys to work hard every day,” Peixoto said.

“I want a humble team, humble players. Working as a unit, as a team together, it's important.

“I know it's a historic club that won three first division titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups.

“A lot of fans, a lot of passion for the club. I know that, but it's important for the fans to support these players.

“Forget the past. It's a new season, a new era. Another coach, new players. Some players came last season to this season but the fans must make a reset and start to support the players.

“The players work very, very hard to improve and have a great season to make the fans proud of the club again.

“The players are going to fight 90 minutes to win the games and I think that's what the supporters want. A team, a player who fights every minute to try to win the game.

“I hope we’re going to win more than draw and lose. I believe in that with all my passion. But when we don't win, the players have to work hard for 90 minutes, try to fight for the club, for the fans, for all the technical staff, all the club, because this is the mentality I want.

“I want a humble team with strong character, strong mentality. We're going to fight for the three points game after game to achieve a return to the Premier League.”

Before 2025 Peixoto had a mixed managerial experience with short stints at several lower league Portuguese sides, before arriving at top flight side Gil Vicente and guiding them to sixth in the table.

That earned him attention from other clubs, with reports suggesting he was close to the Benfica job before former Fulham boss Marco Silva took it.

The manner in which he was appointed at Wolves also came under deserved scrutiny for the cruel way Rob Edwards found out of his sacking by social media - although that does not reflect on Peixoto himself, it does mean his arrival was a surprise.

But was the man himself surprised that this opportunity came up?

He said: “I also had other offers from other countries and also in Portugal, but when they told me and talked to me about Wolves, I wanted to come as soon as possible because it's a great club.

“With Portuguese history, it's also important. I watched the Wolves games a lot of times because Nuno was my team-mate at Porto and I know all the Portuguese players very well.

“It's not a surprise because I know I did a good job, but it's a good feeling to come to a great country, great city, great club, with a great opportunity for me to show my way, my passion for playing.

“We have a big objective, a big goal to build in the club, which is also important for me. I think it's a great opportunity and I’m very happy to be here.

“I found a club that wants to improve and grow to create a good and strong team to have a strong season.

“I see players also who want to improve, who want to win games, who want to change their mentality, who work hard to improve the team.

“I'm happy with what I see, what I feel in the club, in the players in these two weeks.”

A key word throughout the interview has been ‘mentality’, with Peixoto urging an elite mindset and winning feeling around the club.

That dovetails nicely with his desire for Wolves to be an athletic and difficult side to play against, while also carrying an outstanding attacking threat.

“It's (the intensity) a key point for us because now we have to work hard,” he said.

“If you train hard, you play hard. When the games come, three in three days, you're going to train, recover and play.

“It's at this moment we create a good, hard work to support these moments in the season.

“I's also important for my way of playing. We want to press high, we want to react stronger when we lose the ball.

“We know the Championship is very tough, a lot of runs. I want the team, in terms of physicality, in the good way, in the strong way, to attack in the best way this season.”

If the head coach can get it right, Wolves could be an exciting team to watch next season.

So far he is saying all the right things and carries a clear confidence that his time at the club will be a success.

But time will tell if Peixoto, Wolves and his players can turnaround the club’s recent trajectory.

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