Rob Edwards to Wolves: Will he leave Middlesbrough FC? | OneFootball

Will the current Middlesbrough boss return to where his coaching career began?

Wolverhampton Wanderers are on the hunt for a new manager, with Rob Edwards seemingly their number one option.

The Premier League side sacked Vitor Pereira following a second successive start to the campaign with no wins through the opening 10 league games. The Portuguese boss saved the club from that dire start last season, and now the Molineux-based outfit is searching for his successor to replicate the same feat.

The current Middlesbrough boss is on the radar of the club he spent four years at as a player, before returning shortly after his retirement to kick off his coaching career in 2013.

After an official approach was made by Wolves, and subsequently rejected by Middlesbrough on Thursday, questions are rightly being asked about the state of play surrounding the current Boro boss and a return to Molineux, especially after Edwards cancelled his press conference and didn't take training ahead of Boro's home matchup against Birmingham City this weekend.

Middlesbrough initially rejects Wolves' approach to talk to Rob Edwards

Come Sunday, it'll have been a week since Wolves sacked Vitor Pereira, and if the Premier League side had their way, they'd have had his replacement sorted in plenty of time ahead of their trip to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on Saturday night.

Immediately, both Gary O'Neil and Rob Edwards were plucked out as top candidates, and with O'Neil ruling himself out of the running, that left one other clear option.

Wolves moved in on the Boro boss on Thursday, but the Championship side knocked back their approach, remaining strong in their intentions to keep the former Luton Town manager in their dugout for the foreseeable.

Middlesbrough are in a strong position in the Championship, sitting third after 14 games with one of the best defences in the division.

Despite a rocky end to his tenure at Kenilworth Road, Edwards is showing signs of the manager who brought Luton to the top flight three seasons ago, and Boro seemed full of belief that he can do the same at The Riverside.

Rob Edwards reportedly "open" to Molineux move, despite tight-lipped nature in public

Despite Middlesbrough's initial stance on not allowing Edwards to engage in conversation with the Premier League outfit, talkSPORT have reported that the 42-year-old is open to the move, and that he is believed to have a release clause in his contract.

Given his already established links with Wolves, it makes sense as to why. Born in Telford, a mere 20 miles away from Wolverhampton, Edwards enjoyed his best moments as a player at Molineux, making over 100 appearances for the club between 2004-2008.

Upon his retirement five years later, he rejoined the club as an Under-18s coach, before becoming a first-team coach under Kenny Jackett, and then spending a couple of games as interim manager in 2016.

There are clear ties between the two parties, which Edwards himself acknowledged when asked if he was interested in becoming the new Wolves boss during the week. Despite this, he remained coy about his potential wishes to jump ship.

"You know my links to the club, but my full focus is on the job here, which is a brilliant job, and trying to turn things around," he said.

"Speculation is hard for me to comment on. [...] I never get drawn on stuff that's all hypothetical, and I don't want to get drawn on that.

"All I can say is that I've not given it a single thought because my focus is on this. It's all the stuff that my daughter was telling me about."

That was in midweek, before the news broke on Thursday regarding Wolves' approach. It'll be intriguing to see what Edwards' stance on this is now - although a development on Friday may give some indication...

Rob Edwards cancels pre-Birmingham City press conference and training session

In the latest twist of what's been an extraordinary tale, Edwards' pre-match press conference ahead of Middlesbrough's match against Birmingham this Saturday, scheduled to take place at 1pm on Friday, has been cancelled.

Additionally, the Boro boss has reportedly not taken Friday's training session at his current club.

Further details as to why have yet to be disclosed, but ultimately, this leaves skeptics with more questions than answers.

And with Edwards not present to give those answers, many are speculating that this could be the biggest indication of all that Edwards is pushing for a move away from The Riverside.

Will Rob Edwards move to Wolves? - It looks likely

The lure of Wolves for Rob Edwards right now may be too much for Middlesbrough to deal with. The Premier League side are fond of the 42-year-old, and his prior links to Molineux almost certainly point towards a third stint commencing in the coming weeks, especially given his last-minute cancellation of his press conference on Friday.

However, would a move to a Wolves side that looks lost at the foot of the Premier League table be a wise move for a manager who is once again starting to find his feet after the back end of his time at Luton soured his reputation somewhat?

No manager wants a relegation on their CV, let alone two, and a move back to a club he is so well-liked at may result in such; that is, if he isn't sacked before the season ends, if results don't improve. Either way, that reputation at Wolves would then sour, too.

Obviously, there's an upside. If Edwards can get things moving at Molineux and keep Wolves in the Premier League, he'll be heralded as a hero, but could that be seen as an impossible task?

There are pros, cons, and clear risks for joining Wolves at this stage of the season. But, depending on his reasoning for cancelling his press conference and refusing to take training, bridges may already be burned at The Riverside, which will leave him with no choice but to jump ship.