How Jose Mourinho and Marco Silva delayed Wolves' Rob Edwards sacking | OneFootball

Rob Edwards' dismissal from Wolves would've happened a lot sooner if it weren't for one key factor

Wolverhampton Wanderers have made the shock decision to dismiss Welsh boss Rob Edwards from his position at the helm at Molineux, with Portuguese boss Cesar Peixoto expected to be announced as his replacement.

It's been a rollercoaster of emotions for Wolves supporters over the past weeks and months.

Having finished at the bottom of the Premier League table, the Black Country outfit will be playing Championship football next season for the first time in eight years.

It was assumed that Edwards, who was only appointed in November from Middlesbrough, would lead them into the next campaign, and having played a key role in the recent arrivals of Kieran Trippier and Raul Jimenez, nobody thought otherwise.

However, it has since been announced that the 43-year-old has been sacked from his position, and Gil Vicente boss Peixoto is expected to become his successor, with murmurs that Peixoto had been lined up for the role only emerging yesterday.

Now, it has been revealed that it isn't the case, as one key factor has delayed Edwards' shock dismissal.

Rob Edwards' sacking was only delayed by Jorge Mendes dealing with Jose Mourinho and Marco Silva situations

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Portuguese super agent Jorge Mendes is one of the most recognised and well-known football agents in the world, having worked with the likes of Lamine Yamal, Vitinha, and Cristiano Ronaldo over his career.

Mendes played a crucial role in appointing Nuno Espirito Santo to Wolves back in 2017, which didn't work out too badly, as well as playing a key role in the deals that saw both Ruben Neves and Diogo Jota join the Old Gold whilst the club was still in the Championship.

That connection, whilst it has faded in recent years, has shot back into life now, with Portuguese outlet Record reporting that the only reason Peixoto's appointment, and therefore Edwards' dismissal, didn't happen sooner was because Mendes was busy dealing with deals that saw Jose Mourinho head from Benfica back to Real Madrid, and Marco Silva from Fulham to Benfica.

Record, along with fellow outlet O Jogo, has reported that Mourinho's and Silva's moves took priority, and that discussion of Peixoto taking charge at Molineux has been spoken about for weeks, and that this isn't out of nowhere as it appears to be.

Despite this, Edwards seemingly knew nothing of his impending dismissal, with the Welshman only finding out about the rumours of Peixoto's appointment via social media, which was then confirmed to him via a phone call to club officials.

Peixoto is now expected to assume control of the Old Gold ahead of the upcoming campaign, and whilst this move has been thoroughly premeditated, its unexpectancy in the public eye, but more importantly through Edwards' eyes, is what makes the situation so shocking.

Had Mourinho and Silva not been in the midst of their own moves, this news would have broken a lot sooner, one could imagine, but Edwards' lack of clarity and way of finding out the news can only leave a sour taste in the mouth for the Welshman.

Why Rob Edwards' Wolves departure is so shocking

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When Edwards was appointed as Wolves boss in November 2025, many had assumed that the Old Gold were already resigned to the very real possibility of relegation, and the Welshman, with his previous connection with the club, was seen as the ideal candidate to lead them into the Championship.

And until very recently, almost everyone, aside from the higher-ups at Wolves, thought so too, including many of the Wolves squad, including new signing Trippier, who is said to be 'angry' at his dismissal.

Not only are many around the footballing world shocked at the news, but so is Edwards himself, and even the Wolves players, in what is a truly unprecedented set of circumstances.

Whether it is the correct decision to dismiss him, not only does it remain to be seen, but it is unimportant in the manner in which his departure has unfolded, and strong questions will be raised about the Wolves hierarchy about this decision, and more importantly, how it has played out.