Rob Edwards has officially been unveiled as Wolves’ new head coach. Wolves, who sit bottom of the table without a win in ten, look all but relegated. With the whole club in disarray from the boardroom to the pitch, this could very well be Fosun’s last roll of the dice to maintain Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Premier League status. If Edwards can somehow steer the ship, he’ll be seen as a hero. If he fails, all eyes will be on Fosun for a collapse that has been years in the making.
With the chaos surrounding the club, a lack of interest in the role was inevitable. Once again, Fosun had failed to plan ahead for Vítor Pereira’s departure, resorting to reactive panic, highlighted by their approach to potentially bring back Gary O’Neil. Luckily for Wolves fans, this never materialised, but the approach alone, for a man who was sacked less than 12 months ago, underlined the club’s lack of direction. Instead, it appears Wolves have opted to poach a familiar face in Rob Edwards to save the club’s season. Edwards isn’t a marquee appointment, nor a statement of intent from the owners, but he feels like a sensible one with the potential to succeed with the limited tools he’ll inherit.
What separates Rob from the recent carousel of managers is that he actually knows Wolves. A former defender and later head coach for the under-23s, he understands the club’s culture, the demands of the supporters, and what it means to play for the badge. Wolves haven’t had that kind of connection since Nuno’s tenure, and after years of short-term appointments often treating us as a stepping stone, it will be a breath of fresh air to get someone in who truly values the club. Edwards clearly holds deep admiration for Wolves, and in a dressing room void of confidence, this kind of passion could prove crucial if the club want any fighting chance of staying up.
Obviously, he can’t get by with passion alone. The tactics have to be right, the performances need to improve, and points need to be won. This is something that will prove difficult for a man with only one season of top-flight football under his belt. His lack of experience makes this a huge risk for Wolves, with many fans believing a more seasoned coach was the bare minimum needed for survival. Despite this, Rob Edwards actually impressed in his only Premier League season with Luton Town. The team wasn’t brimming with quality and worked with a tiny budget, but still surprised many with the results they achieved. Luton ultimately finished 18th, six points from safety, but considering the resources available, Edwards came close to the impossible. His side wasn’t flashy by any means, but they played with structure, intensity, and discipline – qualities Wolves desperately need right now.
So what would Rob Edwards’ approach look like at Wolves? I think we can expect the 42-year-old to utilise a back five, especially considering Wolves’ woeful defensive record so far, with a heavy reliance on energetic wingbacks such as the likes of Hugo Bueno and Jackson Tchatchoua. He prefers a compact defensive block, something that will hopefully stabilise the side who have already conceded 22 goals this season, while looking to hit teams on the break – a tactical setup Wolves have become very familiar with over the years. Edwards is known for his excellent and calm man management and his demand for a high, collective work rate, but his teams have looked blunt in attack in the past. Middlesbrough this season highlight this, scoring just 17 and conceding 12 in 14 matches. Ultimately, his style is very disciplined and well-drilled, but Wolves fans will hope for a bit more imagination in attack for a team struggling for consistency at both ends of the pitch.
Rob Edwards will be swapping a Middlesbrough side sitting towards the top of the Championship with dreams of promotion for a Wolves side stranded in a relegation fight and drained of belief. It’s a huge gamble, not only for Fosun, but for Edwards himself. If it ends badly and Wolves drop out of the Premier League, few will blame the former defender for attempting such an impossible task. The criticism will instead fall on the ownership, whose years of negligence created this mess in the first place. Edwards won’t perform miracles, and his appointment won’t set the league alight, but what he can do is restore order, rebuild belief, and hopefully, steer Wolves back onto the right path.
