Rob Edwards has taken on the challenging role of steering Wolverhampton Wanderers toward Premier League safety, stepping in as the new manager following Vitor Pereira’s departure from Molineux.

Edwards resigned from his post at Middlesbrough, where he had been in charge for less than five months, to make a comeback to Wolves. His history with the club includes a four-year stint as a player and six years as a coach.

The 42-year-old has committed to a three-and-a-half-year contract with Wolves.

Upon his arrival, Edwards will encounter a tense atmosphere, with many Wolves fans having lost faith in the club’s owners, Fosun, and executive chairman Jeff Shi, and bracing themselves for a potential relegation.

Edwards’ notable achievement was guiding Luton Town to the Premier League in 2023. Despite their subsequent relegation, the team showed determination throughout much of the season. However, the following year proved difficult, leading to Edwards’ dismissal and the club’s second consecutive relegation after his exit.

Rob Edwards is back in the Premier League after joining Wolves on a three-and-a-half year deal

Edwards has left Middlesbrough after just 15 games in the job – to the ire of their supporters

Shi said: ‘I know Rob very well and I have seen his growth in different jobs. 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.’

He had made a strong start at Middlesbrough, who collected about £3m compensation when he left, but opted to return to the West Midlands, where he and his family have strong links. 

Edwards will be joined at Wolves by Harry Watling, who takes on the role of assistant head coach and also leaves ‘Boro.

After the manager was stood down from the north-eastern club’s game at Birmingham City on the weekend, fans held banners in the away end reading ‘Edwards you rat!’

He leaves the North Yorkshire club after taking charge of a mere 15 games. 

In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, ‘Boro made a thinly-veiled dig at their departing boss.  

Edwards made some 111 appearances for Wolves over a four-year period as a player

He replaces Vitor Pereira, who was sacked a couple of weeks ago after a dismal start to the season

‘Rob had signed a three-year contract with ourselves during the summer,’ it read. ‘But after he made it clear he was keen to join Wolves, we reluctantly agreed a figure of compensation for both himself and one of his first team coaches, Harry Watling. 

‘On Saturday the Riverside came together as one, players, staff and supporters, and you could the sense of unity which is at the core of the club. To everyone involved, we would like to say thank you.’ 

The Welshman returns to the club where he made 111 appearances across four seasons as a player between 2004 and 2008, most notably as a centre-back under Mick McCarthy.

But it was also in the Black Country where Edwards got his first taste of coaching, taking charge of the club on an interim basis in 2016 after the sacking of Walter Zenga.

He replaces Vitor Pereira, who was dismissed a couple of weeks ago after presiding over a dismal and winless start to the season. His final match in charge came at Fulham, one which Wolves lost 3-0 just a week after tensions boiled over in the west Midlands following a 3-2 home defeat to Burnley. 

Wolves sit winless and bottom of the Premier League table after their opening 11 games

Edwards’ first four fixtures in charge come against Palace, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Man United in games which will be crucial in determining whether Wolves can climb out of the relegation zone. 

In the last 10 seasons, of the 37 managers who have parted ways with a club in the bottom three, just 13 have managed to stay in the league.

Upon Edwards’ appointment, Wolves’ director of player recruitment and development Matt Jackson said: ‘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. 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.’