‘We need to refresh the whole club’: Why Wolves have appointed Rob Edwards

The former Wolves defender has been appointed as Vitor Pereira’s replacement

Rob Edwards has been appointed manager of Wolves (PA Wire)

Rob Edwards has been appointed manager of Wolves on a three-year deal as he looks to steer his former club out of Premier League relegation danger.

Edwards made more than 100 appearances for the Molineux side during his playing career, and returns with Wolves bottom of the table and without a win so far this season.

The 42-year-old arrives as a replacement for Vitor Pereira after compensation of £3m was agreed with Middlesbrough to extract him from his contract.

Edwards had taken charge of Middlesbrough, second in the Championship table, at the start of the season but departs after just a few months in the role.

He has previous top-flight experience with Luton having guided the club into the Premier League for the first time in 2023.

“I know Rob very well and I have seen his growth in different jobs,” Wolves executive chairman Jeff Shi said.

“He’s a very good person, he knows the club very well, he knows the city, the fans and he is very talented. When he was a youth coach here, he showed his tactical awareness, but after he took first-team jobs he started to grow his own identity, character and leadership.

“We need to refresh the whole club with a new coach’s philosophy, bringing his own identity and ideas, and we can build on that. We are at a new chapter for the club and Rob will be a key piece of that.”

Rob Edward has left Middlesbrough despite their strong start to the Championship season (PA)

Wolves have lost nine of their 11 league games so far and are already eight points behind Burnley in 17th. They have both scored the fewest goals and conceded the most in the division.

Pereira was sacked last week just weeks after signing a new contract at the club. The Portuguese manager had steered Wolves to safety after replacing Gary O’Neil last season, but had been unable to sustain his success.

O’Neil turned down an offer to return to the club after Pereira’s departure, and has also been linked with the vacancy at Southampton.

“Rob and his staff have demonstrated previously that they can be really good in shifting the culture, getting confidence quickly into players and building foundations for a really positive future,” said Wolves’ head of football development Matt Jackson.

“He loves being on the grass and making a change to a team, embracing the tactics of different situations.

“The energy that he brings off the field, we have to get it on to the pitch. We have to be realistic about where we are, and we definitely need to be held accountable. We now need to get that belief into the players quickly and think Rob will be great culturally for the whole football club.”