With Edwards leaving Middlesbrough, a trio of Championship clubs are now seeking new leaders, two of which are in need of a swift change of fortunes.
| 2025/26 Outright Markets | Odds |
|---|---|
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (To Finish Bottom) | 8/11 |
| Middlesbrough (To Finish in Top 6) | 4/9 |
| Southampton (To Finish in Top 6) | 9/4 |
| Norwich City (To be Relegated) | 11/8 |
Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Is Rob Edwards the right man for Molineux?
Wolverhampton Wanderers parted ways with former manager Vitor Pereira after a nightmare start to the 25/26 EPL season. The Gold and Blacks find themselves marooned at the foot of the table, with just two points from 11 Premier League games.
As it stands, Wolves are on course to compete with Derby County for the unwanted tag of the Premier League’s worst ever points total.
The club are reportedly close to appointing Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards on a three-and-a-half-year deal. The former Wolves player and youth team coach has previously described Wanderers as “his club”, with his family based a short distance from the city.
Edwards has made a solid start to the 25/26 Championship season with Boro, turning them into genuine promotion contenders. However, his Premier League record is less impressive. He failed to keep Luton Town in the EPL, although the Hatters were by no means expected to avoid the drop in 2023/24.
The gap between Wolves and Premier League safety has stretched to eight games already. With 38 points typically needed to avoid relegation, Wolves must now earn 36 points from their remaining 27 games. That’s an average of 1.33 points per game. Over the course of a full season, averaging 1.33 points per game would typically ensure a safe mid-table position.
Even if Edwards can galvanise the fan base and squeeze an extra 10% of effort from the players, this still seems like a very tall order.
Wanderers’ Chinese owners have systematically downgraded their squad over the last few seasons. They’ve sold several key players for sizeable fees and not adequately reinvested the proceeds.
After the November international break, winless Wolves will host a Crystal Palace side with the third-tightest defensive record in the league. That’s followed by a trip to Midlands neighbours Aston Villa. They then host a Nottingham Forest side that are currently one of Wolves’ closest rivals.
Failure to get any points in this trio of fixtures could be curtains for Wolves and Edwards. That’s because they then face a run of games against Manchester United, Arsenal, Brentford and Liverpool.
As things stand, backing them to finish bottom at a probability of 57.8% seems sensible. They have to get eight points just to keep pace with second-bottom Nottingham Forest. It’s a huge challenge for Wolves, who have mustered just seven goals in 11 matches.
Who fills Edwards’ void at Boro and what now for the Saints and Canaries?
Middlesbrough’s long-time owner, Steve Gibson, didn’t expect to have to change his management team after their start to the new season. Boro are flying high in automatic promotion contention right now.
Unfortunately for them, their form put Edwards firmly on Wolves’ radar. Wanderers have been able to entice Edwards back to work in the West Midlands, where his family still lives.
Gibson will be desperate to appoint a manager capable of maintaining their current momentum and league position. There are a couple of names said to be in serious consideration by the Boro hierarchy. One of those is former Wolves boss, Gary O’Neil. He is currently out of work and wants to get back into management.
The other is Spanish boss, Carlos Corberan, who currently manages Valencia. However, the former West Brom boss is said to be close to the sack after a difficult start to the La Liga campaign.
Although Boro have a strong starting XI, their squad depth means it’s unlikely they will maintain a top-two charge. However, the likes of O’Neil and Corberan can certainly cement Boro inside the top six.
Southampton are also looking for a new boss after dispensing with the services of Will Still. The Saints have since won back-to-back league games and moved clear of the relegation zone.
They are just seven points off the playoffs. If a new manager can maintain Southampton’s form, they have the squad depth to mount a top-six challenge through the winter months.
A relegation battle was not expected for Norwich City this season. After £50m+ of signings and the appointment of Liam Manning as the new boss, the Canaries have won just two of their first 15 games.
This led to Manning’s sacking following their most recent 2-1 home loss to Leicester. They’ve lost eight straight home games for the first time in the club’s history.
With the Canaries now four points adrift of safety, they are likely to need a manager with strong character and personality to steer them through a relegation battle.
Despite the significant investment, City’s squad lacks Championship experience. It’s got many young, unproven players from across Europe, most of whom may not be up for a relegation dogfight. Given the current negative momentum at Carrow Road, supporting their relegation seems to be the most sensible option.