Liam Keen
Published2nd Apr 2026, 19:00 BST
Wolves face one of the most crucial turning points in their recent history and the pressure is on the decision makers to get it right.
Despite an upturn in performances and results, the bottom-placed Premier League club are still highly likely to be relegated to the second tier, with seven matches remaining this season.
It will bring an end to Wolves’ top flight run after eight consecutive seasons and a new-look hierarchy under interim chairman Nathan Shi and technical director Matt Jackson are working to lead Wolves’ resurgence.
Head coach Rob Edwards will take Wolves into the Championship when relegation is confirmed and he does so with some momentum of late that he will be desperate to maintain in the final fixtures.
Edwards lost his opening seven matches and that lack of immediate impact, on a team floundering under Vitor Pereira before him, essentially signed Wolves’ death warrant going into the January transfer window.
That resulted in a - probably wise - tactic to begin preparing for the drop by selling Jorgen Strand Larsen, Jhon Arias and Emmanuel Agbadou, loaning out others, and signing proven Championship goalscorer Adam Armstrong.
The club’s plans were obvious, but for the competitive athletes in the building, there is an eagerness to continue fighting until their fate is mathematically sealed.
As he sat down for an exclusive interview with the Express & Star, Armstrong refused to entertain the notion of relegation.
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Adam Armstrong | Wolves
“No, I saw it as a chance to come back to play in the Premier League,” he said when asked about his arrival marking Wolves’ preparation for relegation.
“I thought the Premier League was over for me. I was in the Championship doing well and as you get older, you start to think about what's next for you.
“At Southampton we started off a bit slow, so I didn't know if they were going to get promoted or not and when Wolves came, to play back in the Premier League, it's every kid's dream.
“No matter how long that'll be for, it was something I couldn't turn down and a massive opportunity to work with the gaffer here and staff and see a different variety of players.
“There are a lot of foreign boys, a few English, and how everyone gets on so well. I'm amazed at the morale, how good it is, for being so far down the bottom of the league.
“We have to take every game as it comes and just try and keep enjoying my football.”
He added: “When I first came into training, I couldn't wrap my head around how the team is so far down the table.
“But I knew the circumstances I was coming into and the boys are quality and we have to try and start showing that for the back end of the season.
“Keep putting on good performances, showing everyone what we can do.
“You can take confidence from each game for yourself and in training as well each day.”
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Adam Armstrong | Wolves
Armstrong’s reluctance to discuss relegation is understandable, as Wolves can still mathematically pull off the great escape.
It is also important not to be seen as waving the white flag, both in results and performances, but also in how Wolves approached the transfer window.
However, with the points picked up of late, there has to be a frustration that Wolves were unable to find this form earlier.
If there were an extra five games added on to this season, it is feasible that Wolves could stay up, yet their fate seems certain.
Armstrong said: “It's easy saying that when you've picked up a few results, to say ‘where was this a while ago?’
“That's just football in general. We had it at Southampton when we were struggling in the Premier League, we started playing better and everyone's saying, ‘why couldn't you do it at the start?’
“Who knows and that's not for me to say because I wasn't here so I can't really talk on that, but I just keep on saying how positive it's been since I've come in.
“Things have changed around with Rob and that's been excellent and we have to just keep taking the positives.
“Every time I've played in the Premier League, I've tried to play my best and work hard for the team.
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Adam Armstrong | Wolves
“Different circumstances and different managers are out of my control, but I've thoroughly enjoyed being here.
“Every time I step foot on the pitch in the Premier League, it's every kid's dream. I try to take it as that and just do the best I can.
“Luckily enough, I've come in here and I've felt like I've done well. To get my first goal against Brentford is amazing. Hopefully, I can just keep going.”
Maintaining form, regardless of the final outcome, must now be Wolves’ aim.
As Edwards has said in press conferences since his arrival, the players must play well to impress him, or they must play well to impress other teams and secure a move elsewhere.
Either way, they must perform.
Naturally, Wolves must also guard against players downing tools but in the two months since his arrival, Armstrong says he has witnessed a group that will remain respectful.
“I've not seen that since I've come in,” Armstrong said.
“There's not been one person who's a bad egg or who doesn't want to be here.
“We’re bottom of the league but we want to be higher up and we're trying every day to make ourselves better and that's what I've seen.
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“I can only speak on what I've seen. No one's throwing the toys out the pram and wants to leave.
“Everyone knows that they have to try and play well to get a move or they're going to stay here.
“I can only just say again that it's been positive since I've come in and everyone's been spot on.”
If relegation is realised, this summer will be the biggest for the football club for some time and they must get it right.
It will likely involve a big turnover of players and the balance, leadership and quality of the squad will all be questioned.
A number of high profile players, such as Joao Gomes and Andre, are expected to depart.
But Armstrong, who has experienced Premier League relegation before, has warned the summer might not be as straightforward as people think.
When asked what they must get right in the summer, Armstrong said: “I've seen it before, where people think they're going to leave and it never happens.
“I've seen it at Southampton, you get relegated and people think ‘I want to be in the Premier League again’, and nothing happens so you’ve got to crack on.
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Adam Armstrong | Wolves
“The lads are so good here, on the pitch and off the pitch, they’re good lads.
“I can't see anyone being a problem, or kicking up a fuss in the summer. Whatever happens, it'll all be done right.
“I can't speak on what's going to happen in the summer.
“I'll always be working hard and trying to help everyone, whoever comes through the door.”
Sitting in a quiet room at Wolves’ Compton training ground, Armstrong cuts the figure of an incredibly relaxed individual.
Often, the best athletes do not get too high or too low, and Armstrong is a normal, level-headed family man.
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Adam Armstrong | Wolves
Edwards recently described the striker as ‘quite quiet’ as a character, but he makes an impact in the dressing room when he chooses to speak because he only speaks when it matters.
Armstrong describes himself as ‘laid back’ and agrees with Edwards’ interpretation, as the 29-year-old aims to make an impact on and off the pitch for Wolves.
“I think he's probably spot on!” he said.
“I always try to go about my training wanting to win, that's my mentality.
“When you speak you want to try and help people. I've had it in the past where older pros are speaking down to you and that happens a lot in football.
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Adam Armstrong | Brett Patzke - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
“I’m trying to be the opposite, trying to help people and they can still help me because I still feel young.
“Trying to help each other, on and off the pitch, whether it’s as simple as going for a coffee with one of the lads if they're down.
“At the end of the day, we all want the same thing so if my leadership can help that, or they can help me, then it just makes it even better.”
The reality at Wolves is that they have a leadership vacuum.
In the last four summers Wolves have lost their captain, from Conor Coady to Ruben Neves, Max Kilman and then Nelson Semedo.
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Adam Armstrong | Wolves
Toti Gomes was made club captain in pre-season, alongside the leadership group of Jose Sa, Joao Gomes and Matt Doherty, but Edwards has opted to give Sa the armband during and following Toti’s injury issues.
Ladislav Krejci is fancied by many fans and pundits as Wolves’ next captain, although he is likely to garner some attention from other clubs in the coming months.
As an experienced player, who will be key next season and knows the Championship well, Wolves could do worse than giving Armstrong the armband.
“It's definitely been something I've worked on, it's not been something that's come naturally,” the forward said of his leadership skills.
“I only speak when I feel like I need to.
“I'm not one of these guys that goes around screaming at people. I'm the most laid back guy you'll probably meet.
“I only speak when I think something needs to be said.
“You have to set standards each day to try and be the best you can be.
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Adam Armstrong | Wolves
“I think I've always had that. I've always learned from other people, seeing what they do every day as a young lad at Newcastle to try and pick things.
“I'm just trying to do the same here.”
Armstrong is in his prime and has picked up a lot of experience throughout his career, since he came through as a youngster at Newcastle.
The impact of older professionals during his formative years has been profound and former Wolves players Elliott Bennett and Sam Ricketts both played their part.
Armstrong played with Bennett at Blackburn and with Ricketts at Coventry and the current Wolves number nine has taken inspiration from their leadership style.
“I've had some great captains over my years and I’ve taken a bit from every one of them,” he said.
“When you do speak, you also listen to positives and negatives, and get better.
“I don't speak too much but when I need to speak it's more for the health of the team or health for myself.”
Adam Armstrong sits down with the Express & Star's Liam Keen for an exclusive interviewplaceholder image
Adam Armstrong sits down with the Express & Star's Liam Keen for an exclusive interview | Wolves
He added: “I'd say Elliott Bennett, who used to be at Wolves, and Sam Ricketts at Coventry.
“I was only 17 or 18 at Coventry and just seeing the way he went about training, he was always looking after the younger boys because we had a young group then.
“Bennett was the same, he couldn't do more for you. On and off the pitch, he would always fight for you. I still keep in touch with him now.”
Resurgence has been a key theme, as Wolves seek to right the wrongs of this season with long-term success.
Bouncing back from relegation will rely on a lot of correct decisions and Armstrong, with his impressive goalscoring record in the second tier, will be expected to lead Wolves’ revival.
In true laid back style, as we have come to expect from the striker, he is not feeling the pressure to fire Wolves back to where they belong.
“You can't really put too much pressure on yourself or what others expect from you because it'll just drive you crazy,” he said.
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Adam Armstrong | Brett Patzke - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images
“I've seen that at a young age, how it affects players, whether it's negative criticism or positive.
I try to stay balanced and see the good and the bad.
“I don't really feel too much pressure. At the end of the day, it's down to me to do it on the pitch and if I'm not doing it, then I'll definitely be told why I'm not doing it.
“Who knows for the future where we're going to end up, but if it is the Championship, or if it's the Premier League, you'll know that I'll give my all and try and get us to where we want to be.”
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