Wolves confirm Rob Edwards as new head coach, Jeff Shi makes "refresh" vow after Premier League slump

Wolverhampton Wanderers have confirmed the appointment of Rob Edwards as the club's new head coach.

Ever since Gary O'Neil withdrew from the race to replace Vitor Pereira, the 42-year-old has been viewed as the club's first-choice candidate.

On Saturday morning, Middlesbrough gave Edwards permission to hold formal discussions over a return to a club that he had already represented as a player, coach and Under-21s manager.

Since the 3-0 defeat at Chelsea over the weekend, there has been the anticipation of an announcement for the West Midlands outfit, who sit at the bottom of the Premier League table.

Edwards has now been confirmed as the new Wolves boss, leaving the Riverside Stadium to pen a three-and-a-half-year contract at Molineux.

Welcome back, Rob Edwards ?

?️ https://t.co/wev3xlkSk0 pic.twitter.com/ayefCHi64R
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 12, 2025

Shi makes "refresh" vow after Wolves appoint Edwards

Owners Fosun international are no strangers to working with Edwards, who was on the coaching staff of their first head coach Walter Zenga before Edwards oversaw two games as caretaker head coach after the Italian's departure.

Furthermore, Edwards - who made over 100 appearances for Wolves as a player - has spent time as the club's Under-21 manager, and chairman Jeff Shi is hopeful that a familiar face can spearhead what he describes as a "refresh" for the club.

Speaking to the club's official website, 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."

Is Edwards the right man for Wolves job?

Regardless of who became the next Wolves head coach, they face the task of trying to overhaul an eight-point deficit to safety with 27 Premier League games remaining.

With relegation to the Championship a realistic possibility, bringing in someone who could lead the 2026-27 campaign and beyond felt imperative, and Edwards would presumably be that person.

Having won promotion to the Premier League with Luton and having kept Middlesbrough in the top three of this season, Edwards ticks a lot of boxes.

That all said, he is still to convince at the highest level and will have plenty of doubters over his credentials, both in the short and long term, even if he is returning to a club and area of the country where he is settled.