Middlesbrough Football Club has permitted head coach Rob Edwards to begin discussions with Wolverhampton Wanderers. He intends to speak to their current open head coach position. This decision follows a first inquiry from Wolves being turned down earlier this week. Edwards has deep connections to Wolves from his years as a player and later as their coach. He is said to be keenly considering the chance to come back to Molineux now.
Rob Edwards has a pretty remarkable record himself at Wolverhampton. He went on to make more than 100 appearances for the club from 2004 to 2008. Following his playing career, he joined Wolves’ coaching staff in 2014, initially working with the U18s. He skyrocketed through the ranks. In 2015, he was promoted to the first-team coaching setup, and by 2019, he was appointed head coach of the U23s. Career statistics In 2021, Edwards left Wolves to become the new manager of Forest Green Rovers.
Though he’d only been at Charlton for under six months, Edwards joined Middlesbrough in the summer. He has since shepherded the team to a third place finish in the Championship table. Despite his success, Middlesbrough expressed disappointment upon learning of Edwards’ desire to speak with Wolves regarding their head coach vacancy.
“Following discussions with Rob we were disappointed to learn that he wanted to speak with Wolves regarding their head coach vacancy. We have now agreed [compensation] terms with Wolves, subject to completion of the relevant paperwork.” – Middlesbrough Football Club
Because of all these happenings, Edwards missed training with Boro on Friday. So too did his decision to cancel his normally scheduled pre-match press conference. The English club announced this week that Adi Viveash, Harry Watling and Craig Liddle will be their new leadership team. They will field the League Cup heroes for next Wednesday’s visit of Birmingham City.
Curtis Davies, a player who has previously worked under Edwards, noted that the swift rejection of Wolves’ initial approach indicates Middlesbrough’s intent to retain him.
“Boro rejecting the approach straight away tells you they want him to stay.” – Curtis Davies
Rob Edwards personally confirmed his connections to Wolves yesterday but was coy on the speculation about his own future.
“You know my links to the club [Wolves],” – Rob Edwards
He further stated, “It’s all speculation anyway. I never get drawn on stuff that’s all hypothetical and I don’t want to get drawn on that.” His commitment to Middlesbrough was evident when he expressed, “I love being Middlesbrough manager and that’s what I want to think about.”
Discussions between Middlesbrough and Wolves continue. The outcomes of these discussions could significantly impact either club and define their seasons moving forward. Wolves had targeted Gary O’Neil, only for him to pull out of the running. Today, the club seems intent on quickly filling their managerial vacancy.
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