Wolves preparing for relegation?! Rob Edwards to be appointed manager as plan revealed for Championship promotion next season

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Wolves are on the brink of naming Edwards as their new head coach. The report says there is now a club-to-club agreement over a compensation package in the region of £2 million (€2.3m/$2.6m) between the Molineux club and Middlesbrough.

Edwards, whose contract at Middlesbrough ran through to 2028, is now believed to be assembling his coaching team ahead of his arrival at Wolves, whom he played for between 2004 and 2008. A former centre-back, he made 111 appearances for the West Midlands outfit, scoring one goal. 

Edwards also acted as Wolves’ interim coach in 2016, taking charge of two games following the sacking of Walter Zenga. After a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers and a 3-2 defeat against Derby County, Paul Lambert was brought in as the club’s permanent manager, with Edwards staying on as a first-team coach.

The report also states that Wolves have one eye on the future by appointing former Watford boss Edwards. While the club are hoping Edwards can steer them to Premier League survival this season, they also believe his appointment gives them the best chance of earning promotion from the Championship next season, should they fail to avoid the drop in 2025-26.

Edwards has experience in both divisions, having guided Luton Town to promotion to the Premier League via the 2022-23 Championship play-offs. The Hatters were competitive in the top tier under Edwards’ tutelage, earning 26 points from 38 games as they ultimately suffered relegation with an 18th-placed finish.

Middlesbrough, who only appointed Edwards in June, were also performing well under his stewardship. The Teessiders are currently second in the Championship table and just five points behind leaders Coventry City, though Edwards was stood down for Saturday’s 2-1 win over Birmingham City, amid ongoing speculation regarding his future.

Meanwhile, Wolves have turned to Edwards following a poor start to the 2025-26 season. They remain the only club in England’s top four tiers yet to win a league game this term, losing nine and drawing two of their 11 fixtures.

Wolves’ torrid start to the campaign led to Vitor Pereira being dismissed last Sunday, only 45 days after signing a new three-year contract with the club.

Confirming Pereira’s departure, Wolves executive chairman Jeff Shi said in a statement: "Vitor and his team worked tirelessly for Wolves and helped guide us through a challenging period last season, for which we are grateful.

"Unfortunately, the start to this season has been a disappointment and, despite our strong desire to give the head coach time and matches to find an improvement, we have reached a point where we must make a change. We thank Vitor and his staff for their efforts and wish them the very best for the future."

In what turned out to be his final match in charge, Wolves were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Fulham last Saturday, with former Porto manager Pereira saying he was doing all he could to turn the club’s fortunes around.

He said after the game: "I’m a fighter. I never give up. I’m not this kind of person. I will try my best in the next training to mentally recover the team, to tactically recover the organisation that we need for the next game."

Wolves Under-21s manager James Collins and his Under-18s counterpart Richard Walker guided the team during the 3-0 reverse against Chelsea on Saturday. Pedro Neto came back to haunt his former paymasters as Malo Gusto and Joao Pedro joined him on the scoresheet at Stamford Bridge.

Should Edwards’ appointment go through as expected, his first game as Wolves manager will be against Crystal Palace in the league on Saturday, 22 November. The former Wales international will then face a West Midlands derby when his new club travel to Aston Villa on Sunday, 30 November, before home clashes against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest and in-form Manchester United on Wednesday, 3 December and Monday, 8 December respectively.