New Wolves, Bruno Lage manager update will alert Middlesbrough - Rob Edwards exit fear remains | OneFootball

The Middlesbrough boss has been heavily linked with the vacancy at his former club

It has emerged that Wolverhampton Wanderers will not be pursuing a reunion with former manager, Bruno Lage, with Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards still in the frame to take over at Molineux.

That is according to a fresh update from Alex Crook of talkSPORT on Wednesday morning, with the Premier League's bottom club still on the hunt for Vitor Pereira's successor after Lage's compatriot was dismissed in the West Midlands following a 3-0 defeat at Fulham on Saturday afternoon.

Despite Wolves' dire predicament at the bottom of the division, having failed to win any of their opening 10 matches, there have been a whole host of names linked with the post.

This includes Edwards, who was only installed at the Riverside Stadium back in late June, with the North East side eventually settling on him as the man to eventually take over from Michael Carrick after a lengthy managerial search of their own.

The 42-year-old had enjoyed a strong start to the Championship campaign with his new club too, and they still remain in an extremely strong position of third after 14 matches played.

That is despite the fact that results and performance levels from Boro have taken a minor hit over recent weeks, winning just two of their last six matches.

Indeed, Edwards continued to oversee matters in midweek for his current employers, as Luke Ayling's 96th-minute header rescued a point against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium, whilst he continues to be linked with the club he has strong connections with as a former player and coach.

As such, the aforementioned developments concerning Lage will certainly have the hierarchy and supporters on Teesside on red alert.

The Middlesbrough boss was amongst the first cluster of names to be linked with the vacancy at Molineux alongside Gary O'Neil and his predecessor at the Riverside in Carrick, just hours after confirmation of Pereira's dismissal was made.

Following a breakdown in talks between the Wanderers hierarchy and the aforementioned O'Neil, who, ironically, was also Pereira's predecessor in WV1, Edwards is reportedly Fosun Group's prime target to take over the side who many believe are destined to return to the Championship for the first time since winning the title under Nuno Espírito Santo seven years ago.

That hasn't fully seen links with other potential candidates quashed, though, with several outlets reporting a potential return to Premier League management for Erik ten Hag, once of Manchester United.

However, Crook has now ruled out a return to the Black Country for the aforementioned Lage, who oversaw matters for the Old Gold between June 2021 and October 2022, winning 19 of his 51 matches in charge.

The 49-year-old most recently spent time in charge of Benfica, but was dismissed by the Lisbon side following a defeat to Qarabag in the opening match of the UEFA Champions League 'League Phase' before being replaced by José Mourinho.

As such, Edwards still remains firmly on Wolves' radar, having previously made 111 appearances for the club between 2004 and 2008, as well as becoming an Under-18s and eventually, senior coach at Molineux and having a brief stint as interim boss in 2016.

Loyalty is a rare trait in the modern game, and Middlesbrough supporters will be hoping Edwards showcases exactly that, despite his well-documented links to the Midlands outfit.

In truth, both clubs could be swapping places in the pyramid come the end of the season, which has led many to question whether the former Luton Town boss should make the jump back to the Premier League so soon.

It has also been argued that Steve Gibson offered Edwards a managerial reprieve after he took plenty of blame for the Hatters' double-quick fall from the top flight into League One, as he departed the club in January.

The current mood at Molineux is exactly the same, as supporters continue to voice their discontent towards owner, Jeff Shi.