Championship club set to fight any approach amid search for Wolves' next head coach
Wolves will face some pushback from Middlesbrough if they attempt to poach head coach Rob Edwards, the Express & Star understands.
Despite reports that Edwards has a release clause in his contract, and the Championship club are keen to keep him, he remains a potential target for Wolves.
Edwards is well known to Wolves as a former player, academy coach and interim head coach in 2016 when Walter Zenga was sacked and before Paul Lambert was appointed.
The 42-year-old has plenty of admirers at Wolves and is in the running for the job, however there has been no contact between the clubs and Edwards has been preparing his side to face Leicester tonight (Tuesday).
Edwards also distanced himself from the role in his pre-match press conference on Monday.
He said: “I was told by my daughter yesterday, so that probably tells you where I stand on it.
“You know my links to the club but my full focus is on this job here, which is a brilliant job, and trying to turn things around from the weekend in a really big game against Leicester.
“Speculation stuff is hard for me to comment about, anything else other than Middlesbrough Football Club, which is where my focus is, that we’ve done a decent job so far.”
To replace Vitor Pereira, Wolves were closing in on a shock return for Gary O'Neil, until the 42-year-old pulled out of the race on Monday evening.
O'Neil was close to agreeing personal terms and was putting together his backroom team but a change of heart saw him inform Wolves that he would not take the job, feeling it was not the right move for him currently.
Wolves were also speaking to other potential candidates during this time, despite an expectation that O'Neil would come in, and they are persevering with these conversations to find Pereira's successor.
Michael Carrick has also been discussed and is available as a free agent after he left Middlesbrough, while former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been looked at but should be considered an unlikely move for Wolves at this stage.
Wolves are keen to make an appointment as soon as possible, but are determined to get the right person to give them any chance of staying in the Premier League this season.
As a result, under-21s boss James Collins and under-18s head coach Richard Walker could take the first team at Chelsea on Saturday evening.
The pair have taken training this week and will continue to do so in the interim until Pereira's successor is appointed.
Comment Guidelines
Iconic Media encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.