Middlesbrough have refused a request from Wolves to speak to their head coach Rob Edwards, after the Premier League club made initial contact about their interest.
Wolves, who sacked Vitor Pereira on Sunday following a 10-game winless start to the season, have been searching for a replacement. BBC Sport reported the West Midlands club had approached Championship side Boro to ask permission to hold talks with Edwards.
Middlesbrough turned the approach down. The club, currently third in the Championship, are determined to keep the 42-year-old and would expect a substantial compensation fee if Wolves were to pursue him — Edwards only took charge at the Riverside Stadium in June on a three-year contract after Michael Carrick’s dismissal.
Wolves had also held discussions with former manager Gary O’Neil, but the 42-year-old withdrew from consideration on Monday. That left Edwards, a former Wolves player, as one of the leading contenders for the vacancy.
Wolves sit bottom of the Premier League with two points from 10 games, eight points adrift of 17th-placed Burnley, and face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Edwards has strong ties to Wolves, having made more than 100 appearances for the club between 2004 and 2008. He later joined their coaching staff and served briefly as interim manager in 2016 after Walter Zenga was dismissed.
His managerial CV includes spells as Forest Green Rovers head coach in 2021 and a short stint at Watford in 2022, where he was sacked after 11 matches. Edwards replaced Nathan Jones as Luton manager in November 2022 and guided the club to the Premier League for the first time in their history in his first full season in charge. Luton were relegated in May 2024 and Edwards left during the 2024–25 season before being appointed by Middlesbrough.
With Middlesbrough unwilling to allow talks, any move for Edwards would likely depend on Wolves agreeing a sizeable compensation package and Boro consenting to discussions.
