WOLVES ANNOUNCE PLAYERS LEAVING THE CLUB AS RETAIN LIST IS CONFIRMED

In a seismic move that has sent shockwaves through Molineux, Wolverhampton Wanderers confirmed their retained list on Sunday, confirming the departure of five players as new head coach Rob Edwards embarks on a drastic squad rebuild. The announcement, coming just 24 hours after a dispiriting 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace, underscores Edwards’ no-nonsense approach to salvaging a season teetering on the brink of disaster.

Wolves, languishing at the foot of the Premier League table with just two points from 12 games, were outclassed by Oliver Glasner’s Eagles yesterday. Daniel Muñoz broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute with a thunderous header from a corner, before Yéremy Pino sealed the points with a sublime curling strike into the top corner six minutes later. Despite fleeting moments of promise – including a deflected free-kick from João Gomes that forced a fine save from Dean Henderson – Wolves offered little threat, extending their winless run to 12 matches and leaving them eight points from safety. The loss, Edwards’ baptism of fire after his mid-season switch from promotion-chasing Middlesbrough, amplified the urgency for change.

The retained list, rubber-stamped by Edwards and technical director Matt Jackson, sees the immediate axing of fringe squad members whose contracts expire this summer: utility defender Ki-Jana Hoever, backup goalkeeper Dan Bentley, and academy product Tawanda Chirewa, who impressed on loan last term but failed to break through. More controversially, loans for towering striker Tolu Arokodare and midfielder Marshall Munetsi will not be extended, with both returning to their parent clubs amid whispers of permanent sales in January. “These decisions are tough but necessary,” Edwards said in a club statement. “We’re building a squad with fight, unity, and Premier League pedigree. Accountability starts now – we need players who can turn this around.”

The cull has ignited fury among the Gold and Black faithful, particularly over the futures of Hoever and Chirewa. Social media erupted with #SaveTawanda trending locally, as fans decried the loss of homegrown talent. “Rob’s gone ruthless, but binning our academy lads after that Palace shambles? Heartless,” tweeted one supporter, encapsulating the mood. Hoever, a product of the youth system, had made 15 appearances this season, while Chirewa’s pace and versatility earned him cult status during a loan spell at Northampton. “We’ve sold our stars – Cunha, Ait-Nouri, now this? It’s PSR gone mad,” another fan posted, referencing Wolves’ enforced sales to comply with profit and sustainability rules.

Edwards, a former Wolves player with over 100 appearances in the mid-2000s, returns to his spiritual home on a three-and-a-half-year deal, but the honeymoon is already over. Having guided Luton to promotion before relegation last season, he inherits a side that has shipped 28 goals and scored just five. “I’m not dwelling on the table,” he insisted post-match. “We’re focusing on sessions, belief, and the next game. January will refresh us.” With injuries sidelining wing-back Rodrigo Gomes (hamstring), defender Matt Doherty (knee), and Bentley (ankle), the squad feels threadbare.

Whispers of further exits – including loanees Jorgen Strand Larsen and Jean-Philippe Mateta on Palace’s scoresheet – swirl, but Edwards urged unity. “We’ve got good players; now we need them to gel.” As Wolves stare down a relegation battle no team has ever escaped from this position, the Molineux faithful wonder if this axe will carve a path to survival – or hasten the drop. One thing’s clear: under Edwards, complacency is dead. The fightback starts now.