After allegations of illegality, threats and a general sense of bitterness eminating out of the North East, Rob Edwards has been officially appointed as Wolverhampton Wanderers’ new manager.
The former Middlesbrough boss had signed a three-and-a-half-year contract on Teeside less than five months ago when he replaced Michael Carrick during the off-season. After overseeing a strong start to the Championship campaign, taking Boro up to third following the first 14 games, tensions began to form once Wolves came calling.
The Premier League’s basement dwellers sacked Vitor Pereira after a miserable run of eight defeats from their opening 10 top-flight matches of the new season. An eclectic selection of candidates was promptly drawn up, with the likes of Carrick, former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and ex-Wolves boss Gary O’Neil all oddly considered.
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Edwards would ultimately emerge as the leading contender, much to the evident fury of Middlesbrough. After the northern club rejected Wolves’ approach to enter into discussions with their head coach on Thursday, The Telegraph reported that Boro were accusing the top-flight side of a “breach of Premier League regulations.”
Middlesbrough took the unorthodox act of standing Edwards down for Middlesbrough’s Championship clash with Birmingham City on Saturday, forcing the manager to watch on from afar as his side claimed a 2–1 win that took them up to second.
Over the weekend Boro eventually accepted defeat. The club were described as “disappointed” that Edwards had shown an interest in taking charge of his boyhood club, and had drawn up a suitable compensation package by Saturday, worth between £3–4 million ($3.9–5.3 million), according to Sky Sports News.
Welcome back, Rob Edwards 🐺 pic.twitter.com/Ua7aAeoNlF
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 12, 2025
“I know Rob very well and I have seen his growth in different jobs. He’s a very good person, he knows the club very well, he knows the city, the fans and he is very talented. When he was a youth coach here, he showed his tactical awareness, but after he took first-team jobs he started to grow his own identity, character and leadership,” chairman Jeff Shi following confirmation of Edwards’ appointment.
“We need to refresh the whole club with a new coach’s philosophy, bringing his own identity and ideas, and we can build on that. We are at a new chapter for the club and Rob will be a key piece of that.”
Head of professional development, Matt Jackson, added: “Rob and his staff have demonstrated previously that they can be really good in shifting the culture, getting confidence quickly into players and building foundations for a really positive future. He loves being on the grass and making a change to a team, embracing the tactics of different situations.
“The energy that he brings off the field, we have to get it on to the pitch. We have to be realistic about where we are, and we definitely need to be held accountable. We now need to get that belief into the players quickly and think Rob will be great culturally for the whole football club.”
Rob Edwards pointing.
Rob Edwards was Wolves interim manager for one game in 2016. / Sam Bagnall/AMA/Getty Images
Edwards’s desire to take over at Molineux was undoubtedly a decisive factor behind his appointment. The former Wales international was born in Madeley, a half-hour drive from Wolverhampton, and spent four years in the Wolves first team between 2004–08, racking up a career-high 111 appearances.
The former defender’s first full-time coaching position came at Wolves’ U18 side when he was still only 30. It would be the start of a steep upward trajectory which saw Edwards take Luton Town into the Premier League in 2023. The Hatters had some moments to savour upon their return to the top flight, famously claiming a 1–1 draw at home to Liverpool in November 2023, before ending the campaign in relegation.
Wolves are very much teetering towards that eventuality this season.
A side overseen by interim boss James Collins was comfortably thumped 3–0 by Chelsea on Saturday night. Wolves remain rooted firmly to the foot of the Premier League table with a paltry two points from 11 Premier League games.
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