Former Luton boss Rob Edwards has been appointed as Head Coach of Premier League side Wolves, leaving his job with Middlesbrough to do so.
Edwards, 42, has signed a three-and-a-half year deal at Molineux as Wolverhampton Wanderers’ replacement for Vitor Pereira, who was sacked by the side currently bottom of English football’s top flight earlier this month.
The deal sees Edwards move from the Riverside Stadium after just 15 games in charge on Teesside. Boro are currently sat second in the Championship, having won 7 games after appointing former Hatters boss Edwards in the summer.
It is reported Wolves have paid Middlesbrough a multi-million pound compensation package for Edwards. Wolves had previously had an attempt to talk to Edwards rejected last week, but talks progressed during the weekend with Edwards not on the touchline for Middlesbrough’s match against Birmingham in their last game before the international break.
He is joined by Harry Watling, who is appointed as his new Assistant Head Coach after moving with him from Middlesbrough.
Edwards returns to Wolves for a fourth separate spell with the club, having previously captained Wolves as a player and served on their coaching staff. It also sees him return close to his family, who live close to Wolverhampton.
In a statement, 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.”
Edwards previously won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs as Luton boss in the 2022/23 season. The former Welsh international and Watford boss had joined Luton during the 2022 World Cup hiatus after predecessor Nathan Jones had left the job at Kenilworth Road to join Southampton.
In his time, Edwards masterminded promotion to the top flight for the Hatters and then presided over a 2023/24 Premier League campaign in which Luton competed in the top flight of English football for the first time in over 30 years. He would however leave Luton in January 2025 after a downturn in form, which had seen Luton relegated from the Premier League and then fall into a relegation battle in the Championship.
Middlesbrough confirmed that Adi Viveash will remain as interim Head Coach while they conclude the process of finding Edwards’ replacement.