Rob Edwards appointed manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers | OneFootball

Wolves have confirmed the appointment of Rob Edwards as their new head coach, with the 42-year-old signing a three-and-a-half-year contract to return to Molineux nearly two decades after first joining the club as a player,

Edwards leaves Middlesbrough, who are third in the Championship, after being granted permission to speak with Wolves last weekend. The Premier League’s bottom side will pay around £3–4 million in compensation for the former Luton Town manager, who replaces Vitor Pereira following his dismissal earlier this month after a ten-match winless run, according to reports from Sky Sports.

“This has been one of the toughest decisions of my career,” Edwards said. “Wolves is a special club for me. It’s where I grew as a player and coach, and where my family still calls home. These opportunities don’t come around often.”

Edwards’ appointment marks a significant gamble for both club and coach. Wolves are winless and sit eight points from safety after a 3–0 defeat to Chelsea. Yet his reputation for rebuilding teams and instilling belief, seen during his successful promotion campaign with Luton, has convinced Wolves’ hierarchy that he can steer them out of crisis.

Executive chairman Jeff Shi described Edwards as “the right person to refresh the whole club with a new philosophy,” while former manager Gary O’Neil said his successor faces “a major reset” to revive a struggling squad.

Edwards, who made over 100 appearances for Wolves between 2004 and 2008 and later coached at youth level, will also be joined by assistant Harry Watling, who also departs Middlesbrough.

GFN | Finn Entwistle