Jean-Ricner Bellegarde reveals what is now so much ‘better’ at Wolves after Vitor Pereira replaced Gary O’Neil.

Jean Ricner-Bellegarde was one of several players who improved their form after Vitor Pereira was appointed as Wolves’ new head coach.

Bellegarde was shifted more centrally and forward in Pereira’s system after being used wide by Gary O’Neil at the start of the 2024/25 season. With Joao Gomes and Andre behind, Wolves’ results improved immediately, and they rose out of the Premier League relegation zone.

Bellegarde has now spoken out about how Pereira improved after Gary O’Neil was fired, focussing on one attribute in particular.

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde says Wolves’ mentality improved under Vitor Pereira

Bellegarde was asked by Wolves’ official website to share his opinions after completing his second season at Molineux. As for himself, the midfielder replied:

“I’m happy because I played a lot, but last season was very difficult because we didn’t win a lot of the first games, but the end of the season was good for the team and our mentality is better.” A lot improved after the management transition, with Pereira setting several new Wolves records as part of the club’s six-game winning streak near the end of the season.

2024/25 stat	Gary O’Neil	Vitor Pereira
Matches managed	16	22
Wins	2	10
Draws	3	3
Losses	11	9
Points gained	9	33
Win percentage	13%	45%

Bellegarde elaborated on Pereira, saying, “Vitor has helped me a lot and given me more opportunities, but with the team, when we saw Vitor was coming to the club, it felt like every player could have a chance [to] play, but you need to keep this and try to play.” The Frenchman then summarised what most Wolves fans believe of their current manager, concluding: “But [Pereira] has been very good for the team.”

Jean-Ricner Bellegarde endears himself to the Wolves faithful as he places the team above himself

In the same interview, Bellegarde was asked about his readiness to play in a variety of roles. The flexible Frenchman’s response will only endear him to Old Gold supporters: “For me, I need to play, but if the coach tells me he wants me to play this position, that’s what I’ll do, and that’s what I’ve been doing. “I just need to help the team, and for me, when the team is playing very well and can win games, then I’m happy.” Following the high-profile exits of Rayan Ait-Nouri and, in particular, Matheus Cunha, Bellegarde will be even more essential next season, as he will need to provide more to compensate for the Brazilian’s stats.