Wolverhampton Wanderers have sacked manager Rob Edwards just seven months after he walked out on Championship side Middlesbrough to take the job, then got relegated from the Premier League
Wolves sacked manager Rob Edwards in a shock move while he was spearheading plans to revamp the club following their relegation from the Premier League.
Edwards, 43, only took up the reins in November of last year after controversially walking away from Middlsbrough, who were riding high in the Championship at the time. Despite failing to spark a revival at the club, as Wolves were relegated from the Premier League in 19th position after a calamitous season and just three wins under his tenure – it seemed the owners were intent on sticking by him.
The Black Country outfit had even started their summer transfers with the acquisitions of Kieran Trippier and Raul Jimenez, while midfielder Andre pledged his future to the club, with Edwards seemingly playing a pivotal role in those deals. However, he has been given the chop just seven months into his tenure, according to The Telegraph, with Gil Vicente’s gaffer César Peixoto tipped to take over the helm after Wolves’ eight-year stay in top flight came to a crashing end.
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According to reports, Edwards first heard of his sacking after members of his family saw rumours of Peixoto’s appointment on social media and Edwards called the club to ask about the rumours.
The Portuguese coach has been with the team since March of last year and has also enjoyed stints with Academica, Moreirense and Pacos Ferreira, reports the Mirror.
Wolves’ choice is perhaps strange considering Edwards had been instrumental in securing the signatures of Trippier and Jimenez, with both players crediting his influence in their decisions to join.
Following the capture of the ex-Newcastle defender, Edwards seemed to indicate he was poised to spearhead the club’s bid to bounce straight back to the Premier League.
He stated: “We have to be up there this season, and I’d rather be there with good players! This doesn’t add any more pressure, it just actually makes me feel better that we’re building a squad that I’ve been banging on about and saying that we’re going to need to do.
“We need to have a better and stronger squad than we had last year because we weren’t able to compete well enough last year, and so we’re working really hard to make sure we’re competitive. Pressure is going to be there anyway because we’re Wolves in the Championship after eight years of Premier League football.
“We know the pressure’s going to be there, but I’d rather have the pressure with players like Tripps and then be able to turn around and know I’ve got a really good and strong group of players behind me.”
In a twist of fate, former Wolves manager Gary O’Neil might also be heading for pastures new in the coming days, having been touted for the opening at Ipswich Town following Kieran McKenna’s exit.