Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly previously identified Daniele De Rossi as a potential managerial target.
The West Midlands outfit endured a dismal first half of the campaign under Gary O'Neil where they featured in the Premier League relegation zone.
In December, the decision was made to sack the Englishman and replace him with Vitor Pereira, who is currently proving to be an inspired appointment.
Since his arrival at Molineux, the Portuguese has delivered 17 points from 13 games to move Wolves nine points clear of the bottom three in the standings. During that time, Wolves have accumulated more points than Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
However, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Wolves were casting glances elsewhere before Pereira left Al-Shabab for England.
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De Rossi emerges as surprise Wolves target
The report alleges that De Rossi was placed on the club's managerial shortlist on the back of his exit from Roma earlier in the season.
While the former midfielder is a club legend at Roma, the 41-year-old has lasted just 47 matches at SPAL and his ex-club since turning his attention to the dugout.
From January 2024 through to the end of last season, Roma had been impressive under De Rossi, accumulating 34 points from 18 Serie A fixtures and reaching the Europa League semi-finals.
Nevertheless, despite being handed a contract until 2027, Roma officials sacked him four games into this campaign, and only a resurgence under Claudio Ranieri has taken the club into contention for European qualification.
As per the report, De Rossi has held talks with what are described as 'English intermediaries' in recent months with his preference a move to English football.
Furthermore, it is claimed that De Rossi would become an option to become the next head coach at Wolves should Pereira depart the club.
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Should Pereira feel safe at Wolves?
Providing that Wolves remain in the Premier League, there is realistically little chance of Wolves wishing to part ways with the 56-year-old.
That said, Wolves may take into account that Pereira has 13 clubs on his record and has only spent longer than 70 games at three of them.
While he has a contract until the end of 2025-26, Pereira spoke long term when reacting to the news that Yerson Mosquera had penned a new long-term contract on Monday night.
With that in mind, that should reassure Wolves fans that Pereira is targeting a lengthy stay if he can keep the club on an upward trajectory.
Darren Plant
