Middlesbrough FC has officially rejected Wolverhampton Wanderers’ inquiry regarding their manager, Rob Edwards. According to reports from BBC Sport, Wolves, currently at the bottom of the Premier League, expressed interest in speaking with Edwards as they search for a replacement for Vitor Pereira, who was dismissed after a disappointing start to the season, having gone ten games without a win. Edwards, a former Luton Town manager, emerged as one of the top contenders for the position alongside Gary O’Neil, a previous Wolves manager. Although Wolves engaged in discussions with O’Neil, the 42-year-old opted to withdraw from consideration for the role on Monday, leaving Edwards as a strong candidate. However, Middlesbrough, currently positioned third in the Championship, is committed to retaining Edwards, complicating Wolves’ pursuit. It has been reported that Wolves would need to pay a substantial compensation fee to Middlesbrough to secure Edwards, who began his tenure at the Riverside Stadium in June. Wolverhampton currently sits at the bottom of the league table with just two points, eight points below 17th-placed Burnley, and they face Chelsea in their next match at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Rob Edwards previously made over 100 appearances for Wolves between 2004 and 2008, later serving as a coach and briefly as interim manager in 2016. He took on the head coach role at Forest Green Rovers in 2021 before moving to Watford, where he was dismissed just 11 matches into his term. After replacing Nathan Jones as Luton Town manager in November 2022, Edwards successfully led the team to their first Premier League promotion in history during his inaugural season. Following Luton’s relegation in May 2024, he parted ways with the club during the 2024-25 season. Middlesbrough appointed him on a three-year contract following the dismissal of Michael Carrick.
