Wolves have revealed why they moved for Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards after confirming him as their new manager.
The Premier League side announced the 42-year-old as their new head coach after agreeing terms on a three-year contract. Edwards had told Boro he wished to leave the Riverside despite signing a three-year contract of his own with the Teessiders in the summer.
The coach's lack of respect for Boro has angered many supporters, and the tone in the club's own statement after they announced his exit was telling. The message about how the club 'came together as one, players, staff, and supporters, and you could feel the sense of unity which is at the core of our club' spoke volumes.
It jarred with Wolves' own statement which talked about how Edwards would be great 'culturally' for the Molineux outfit. While it is true that he has a strong affinity with the Black Country club, his decision to quit Boro after just a few weeks calls into question his loyalty.
Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said: “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.
“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.”
Former defender Edwards played 111 times for Wolves across four seasons. After finishing his playing career he made his first steps into coaching with Wolves’ under-18s in 2014. He quickly became first-team coach, and in October 2016 took charge of two first-team matches on an interim basis, following Walter Zenga’s time at Molineux.
After leaving Molineux to manage Telford United, Edwards returned to Wolves once more as under-23 head coach before spells as manager of Forest Green Rovers, Watford and Luton Town.
Director of player recruitment and development Matt Jackson said: “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.”