ROB EDWARD IS OUT! WOLVES REACHES PRE-CONTRACT AGREEMENT WITH TOP EUROPEAN COACH

The saga unfolded with breakneck speed. Just 48 hours ago, Wolves had finalized compensation talks with Middlesbrough for Edwards, the 42-year-old ex-Wolves defender whose emotional ties to the club—111 appearances as a player and a stint in the academy—made him the sentimental favorite.

A £3 million fee was agreed, and Edwards was poised to sign a three-and-a-half-year deal, arriving at training yesterday to ink the papers. Boro, third in the Championship and unbeaten in seven, reluctantly granted permission for talks on Saturday, but their frustration boiled over when Wolves abruptly withdrew.

Insiders reveal the U-turn stemmed from a late-night intervention by Wolves’ executive chair Jeff Shi and owner Fosun International. Iraola, 43, emerged as the wildcard after Bournemouth’s board rejected an initial £6 million release clause bid—only for Wolves to sweeten the pot with performance incentives and a promise of full squad control. “Andoni’s pedigree at Rayo Vallecano and his transformative work at Bournemouth made him the elite choice,” a club source told our team. “Edwards is solid, but we need proven Premier League firepower to haul us off the foot of the table.”

The snub has blindsided Edwards, who skipped Boro’s session Friday amid the speculation, only to face a frosty homecoming. Middlesbrough CEO Neil Bausor labeled the episode “disrespectful,” hinting at potential Premier League complaints over tapping-up rules. Edwards, fresh off guiding Luton to promotion and surviving relegation, now faces an uncertain future, with whispers of interest from Fulham.

For Wolves, languishing with two points from 11 games post-Vitor Pereira’s sacking, Rodgers arrival is a Hail Mary. His 4-2-3-1 system, blending Spanish flair with English grit, could unlock talents like Toluwalase Arokodare and Ladislav Krejčí. Fans, weary of the eight-game winless streak, greeted the news with cautious optimism on social media: “Bold if it works—gutted for Rob, though,” tweeted one supporter.

As Brendan Rodgers jets in for today’s match—interim duo James Collins and Richard Walker on the touchline—the Black Country braces for revolution. Survival hinges on this gamble. In the cutthroat Premier League, last-minute magic might just be Wolves’ salvation—or their undoing.