Rob Edwards has been appointed the new head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers, following his departure from Championship side Middlesbrough.
The 42-year-old already has Premier League managerial experience, having led Luton Town into the top flight in 2023. His appointment marks a return to Molineux - Edwards is an ex-Wolves player, featuring in 100 Championship matches, six EFL Cup games and five FA Cup ties for the club between 2004 and 2008.
The former centre-back has also previously served Wolves on the coaching staff, in the academy and at first-team level, where he stepped up as interim head coach for two matches in 2016/17.
Wolves are currently bottom of the Premier League, eight points adrift of safety, after a winless start to the season. They earned just two points from their first 10 matches before parting company with Vitor Pereira on 2 November.
The club's Under-21s coach James Collins and Under-18s coach Richard Walker took charge for Wolves' 11th league match, their 3-0 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday night.
Jeff Shi, Wolves' executive chairman, said on the club's official website: "Rob is 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."
Watch Edwards arrive at Wolves' training ground
Rob Edwards returns. 👋 pic.twitter.com/7l7eCTBTYi
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 12, 2025
Shi added: "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."
Wolves' first match under Edwards will be at home to Crystal Palace on 22 November, following the current international break. He is unbeaten in two Premier League games against Palace, after his Luton side defeated them 2-1 at Kenilworth Road and drew 1-1 at Selhurst Park in 2023/24.
Edwards' managerial story so far
To secure Luton's first-ever season in the Premier League, Edwards - who had previously managed England Under-16s, Forest Green Rovers and Telford United - guided the Hatters to a third-place finish and dramatic victory in the 2022/23 Championship play-off final on penalties.
In the top tier, Edwards' Luton side finished 2023/24 in 18th place but scored 52 goals across their 38 matches, a tally that has only been bettered by one other club relegated from a 20-game Premier League season - Blackpool in 2010/11 (55).
Luton dismissed Edwards from his role as head coach in January of the following season, 2024/25, with the club sitting 20th in the Championship. Despite the change at their helm, the Hatters could not prevent back-to-back relegations, falling to League One.
Edwards went on to replace Michael Carrick as head coach of Middlesbrough in June 2025. Under Edwards' guidance, they won their opening four games of the 2025/26 season, earning him the EFL Championship Manager of the Month award for August. He left Middlesbrough in second place in the Championship.
Wolves' last five managers / head coaches
| Manager / Head Coach | First game | Games | PPG* | W | D | L |
| Vitor Pereira | 22/12/2024 | 32 | 1.09 | 10 | 5 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gary O'Neil | 14/08/2023 | 54 | 1.02 | 15 | 10 | 29 |
| Julen Lopetegui | 26/12/2022 | 23 | 1.35 | 9 | 4 | 10 |
| Bruno Lage | 14/08/2021 | 46 | 1.24 | 16 | 9 | 21 |
| Nuno Espirito Santo | 11/08/2018 | 114 | 1.41 | 43 | 32 | 39 |
*PPG: Points per game. Scroll right to see full table.