Rob Edwards agrees Wolves contract on three-and-a-half-year deal after Middlesbrough compensation agreed

Rob Edwards has agreed a three-and-a-half year deal to become the next Wolves head coach.

Middlesbrough stand to make somewhere in the region of £3m-£4m in compensation.

Edwards has been in talks with Wolves since Saturday after he was stood down from Boro's Championship game against Birmingham and given permission to speak to Molineux chiefs.

A formal announcement is expected in the next 24-48 hours, with Edwards set to take over a side bottom of the Premier League on just two points.

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Boro had initially turned down an approach from Wolves, having only hired Edwards in June, but the 42-year-old would subsequently miss Friday's training session and pre-match press conference before the club agreed to let him speak with his former club.

Sky Sports News reported Edwards was a candidate for the Wolves role after Vitor Pereira was sacked on November 2 following a 10-game winless start to the Premier League season.

The former Luton Town boss has a history with Wolves, having made over 100 appearances for them during his time there as a player from 2004 to 2008.

He was part of the club's coaching staff, working with the U18s in 2014 before being promoted to a coaching role with the first team in 2015. He later became head coach of the U23s in 2019, a position he held before joining Forest Green Rovers in 2021.

O'Neil: Wolves need major reset

Former Wolves manager Gary O'Neil believes that Edwards will have to oversee a major reset to get the club back on track.

O'Neil himself held talks about a return to Molineux but opted to withdraw himself from the running.

"I think it's an interesting transition that they've gone through," O'Neil told Sky Sports.

"Obviously they've lost big players in windows just gone. But they spent a lot in the last summer window. They backed Vitor [Pereira].

"So far, this team that they've put together has not been able to put results on the board. They're in a transition period from the group that we had. A more physical group that maybe weren't as technical. It's going to need a big reset.

"Rob [Edwards] has already been in a great job at Middlesbrough so he must see something in this that gives him a good opportunity to work with this group and give them a chance to stay up in the second half of the season."

Why Wolves for Edwards?

Sky Sports' Adam Bate:

Edwards leaving a Middlesbrough team in the Championship's automatic promotion places for a Wolves side without a win in 11 Premier League games might seem difficult to explain. Boro are shorter odds to be in the top division next season.

Edwards garnered much admiration for his handling of some emotional challenges at Luton as they made an impressive fist of their season in the top flight. He had been rebuilding his reputation in the North East after being unable to arrest Luton's slide.

That goodwill from the wider public may evaporate following this controversial move but his connections to Wolves are deep-rooted.

It is not just the century of appearances that he made for the club as a player after joining as a 21-year-old from Aston Villa. Edwards took his first coaching steps at Molineux, serving on the staff of Kenny Jackett, Walter Zenga and Paul Lambert - even taking charge of two games as interim manager in 2006. He has family in the area, having grown up in the Midlands. It is still home.

And managers do tend to back themselves.

Despite Wolves' predicament, he will see a squad full of international players who just need some organisation and confidence. For now, it remains a Premier League opportunity. And those are very difficult to turn down.

Wolves' upcoming fixtures...

• November 22: Crystal Palace (h) - Premier League, kick-off 3pm
• November 30: Aston Villa (a) - Premier League, kick-off 2.05pm, live on Sky Sports
• December 3: Nottingham Forest (h) - Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm, live on Sky Sports
• December 8: Man Utd (h) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
• December 13: Arsenal (a) - Premier League, kick-off 8pm

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Rob Edwards agrees Wolves contract on three-and-a-half-year deal after Middlesbrough compensation agreed