After allegations of illegality, threats and a general sense of bitterness eminating out of the North East, Rob Edwards has been officially appointed as Wolverhampton Wanderers’ new manager.
The former Middlesbrough boss had signed a three-and-a-half-year contract on Teeside less than five months ago when he replaced Michael Carrick during the off-season. After overseeing a strong start to the Championship campaign, taking Boro up to third following the first 14 games, tensions began to form once Wolves came calling.
The Premier League’s basement dwellers sacked Vitor Pereira after a miserable run of eight defeats from their opening 10 top-flight matches of the new season. An eclectic selection of candidates was promptly drawn up, with the likes of Carrick, former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and ex-Wolves boss Gary O’Neil all oddly considered.
Edwards would ultimately emerge as the leading contender, much to the evident fury of Middlesbrough. After the northern club rejected Wolves’ approach to enter into discussions with their head coach on Thursday, reported that Boro were accusing the top-flight side of a “breach of Premier League regulations.”
Middlesbrough took the unorthodox act of standing Edwards down for Middlesbrough’s Championship clash with Birmingham City on Saturday, forcing the manager to watch on from afar as his side claimed a 2–1 win that took them up to second.
Over the weekend Boro eventually accepted defeat. The club were described as “disappointed” that Edwards had shown an interest in taking charge of his boyhood club, and had drawn up a suitable compensation package by Saturday, worth between £3–4 million ($3.9–5.3 million), according to .
