Wolves appoint ex-defender Edwards as manager

Rob Edwards played centre-back during his playing career with Wolves

Wolves finally have their man.

Rob Edwards' appointment on a three-and-a-half-year contract follows the sacking of Vitor Pereira earlier in November.

Edwards arrives at Molineux having left Championship side Middlesbrough, who he joined as head coach in June, but eyebrows have been raised at his choice to leave a side second in the second tier for one eight points adrift of safety, winless and rock bottom of the Premier League.

Meanwhile, for Wolves, there is the question whether Edwards is the right man to help them pull off a great escape for a second successive season?

The 42-year-old appeared to have set Middlesbrough on the right track after being appointed manager in the summer, but the pull of his former club proved just too strong to resist.

It is understood Edwards views the Wolves job as his dream role, having made more than 100 appearances for the Molineux side between 2004 and 2008. He also grew up in nearby Telford and has family in the area.

• Is Edwards the right appointment? Have your say here

Can Edwards reunite a fractured club?

The gamble for Edwards is that he will need to unite a fractured club where fans' frustrations with the ownership have bubbled over.

Swapping a Premier League promotion challenge for a battle to stay in the top flight is brave enough at the best of times, let alone when the club in question appear to have big issues in the background.

Anger towards owners Fosun and executive chairman Jeff Shi is widespread, even if the fans are unlikely to achieve their ultimate goal of pressuring Fosun to sell.

Wolves are aware of the division and Edwards will be joined by Harry Watling, who takes on the role of assistant head coach and was part of his team at the Riverside Stadium.

Sources have also told BBC Sport that Paul Trollope, Joleon Lescott and Conor Coady have been sounded out over potential roles in a new-look backroom staff.

The potential additions of Lescott and Coady are rated as difficult to complete - particularly the latter who is still playing for Wrexham.

One thing Edwards has to his advantage is his lack of recent involvement at Wolves, this in contrast to other reported candidates.

The potential reappointment of former boss Gary O'Neil, sacked 11 months ago and still being paid by the club under the terms of his severance package, could have widened the divide still further.

Supporters had turned against O'Neil by the end of his reign last December, while Shi said in the summer the club waited too long to sack him.

O'Neil perhaps shrewdly ruled himself out of the running last week. He had concerns about what he would be inheriting, especially the structure off the pitch.

That aspect has not put Edwards off.

Former England striker Alan Shearer told BBC Match of the Day: "I get his connection with Wolves but I think Middlesbrough give him a big opportunity and this is a huge risk for him as I don't see them staying up. It is a big gamble."

Where the gamble lies for Wolves is that Edwards' only full-time Premier League managerial experience saw his one season in the top flight with Luton in 2023-24 end in relegation.

He guided the Hatters to the Premier League for the first time but was then unable to halt a slide into League One, leaving Kenilworth Road in January of this year.

Two Premier League relegations would not look great on Edwards' record, but he is keen on the job and a return to his roots, and will back himself to lead the team away from danger.

Edwards won the Premier League 2 title with Wolves Under-23s in 2019, describing the moment as the best in his career at that time.

"It was probably one of the best feelings in 20 years of professional football that I've had. It was amazing, I felt so proud of the boys," he said.

Now Edwards is at the helm, another career highlight would come with his first game in official charge - Edwards had a two-game caretaker spell in 2016 - against Crystal Palace at Molineux on 22 November.

Are Wolves preparing for life in Championship?

Wolves' 3-0 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday left them winless in the league this season after 11 games.

It is just the second time in their history Wolves have failed to win any of their opening 11 league matches - the other being 1983-84 when they were relegated from the top flight.

No club has ever survived in the Premier League from this position, leaving Edwards a monumental task to rescue the club's season.

January additions will be key - if they are still in touching distance - but Wolves need to revamp their transfer strategy.

The sales of Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri were the latest high-profile departures after previous exits of Ruben Neves, Pedro Neto, Diogo Jota and Max Kilman.

Eventually, selling a team's best players and failing to replace them effectively will prove costly, even with profit and sustainability limitations.

There is a desire to add more homegrown players over the next few transfer windows.

The club recognise what is missing, with only Sam Johnstone, Matt Doherty, back-up goalkeeper Dan Bentley, young striker Tawanda Chirewa and defender Ki-Jana Hoever classed as homegrown players.

Of that group, only Johnstone started the loss to Fulham which ended Pereira's reign.

There have been transfer targets in mind.

Middlesbrough's Hayden Hackney has been discussed previously at Wolves, and the England Under-21 international turned down a £20m move to Ipswich in the summer to stay at the Riverside.

He has enjoyed working with Edwards at Middlesbrough, believing staying for his development and not making a move to another Championship club was better for his career.

Even with the Edwards link, attracting players of that ilk - or indeed any player -would be a problem for Wolves in January if they are cut adrift and have little hope of survival.

There surely will be additions, though, with an acceptance Wolves must spend again after needing to sign Marshall Munetsi and Emmanuel Agbadou last winter to aid their survival hopes.

A flurry of signings followed in the summer as attacker Fer Lopez, winger Jhon Arias, left-back David Moller Wolfe, right-back Jackson Tchatchoua, striker Tolu Arokodare and defender Ladislav Krejci arrived.

Krejci aside, they have taken too long to adapt to the Premier League and Pereira argued they were not top of his target list, some being fifth-choice picks.

Pereira was unhappy at the speed Wolves moved in the summer as moves for Marc Pubill, Juanlu Sanchez and Christantus Uche - who eventually joined Crystal Palace - failed to get finalised.

The upheaval at Wolves has also gone beyond the departure of Pereira.

Domenico Teti, the head of professional football, left Molineux two days after the head coach, having joined in June following a shake-up which involved the departure of former sporting director Matt Hobbs.

Wolves will be looking to replace Teti, although it may mean a more prominent role for Matt Jackson - the director of player recruitment and development - in the interim.

Wolves feel this year has seen them start on a new cycle in terms of recruitment and more conservative spending power.

But after appointing their fifth manager in four years it all feels very familiar.