Wolves sack manager Rob Edwards after Premier League relegation, target Gil Vicente's Cesar Peixoto
Wolverhampton Wanderers dismissed head coach Rob Edwards on Thursday, seven months into a three-and-a-half-year contract, following a season that saw the club finish bottom of the Premier League and drop into the Championship.
The sacking
Wolverhampton Wanderers have sacked manager Rob Edwards after only seven months in charge, the club confirmed on Thursday. The decision follows a season in which Wolves finished bottom of the Premier League with 20 points, winning only three of 38 league matches and scoring 27 goals. The club was relegated in April, ending an eight-season stay in the English top flight.
Our decision was not about character, professionalism or dedication. It was about determining what we believe gives Wolves the strongest opportunity to move forward from a sporting perspective.
Edwards' tenure
Edwards, a 43-year-old Welshman and former Wolves player, was hired in November from Middlesbrough on a three-and-a-half-year deal. He took over a side already bottom of the table with two points from 11 matches, replacing Vítor Pereira. Across all competitions, Edwards won just five of his 30 games, losing 16. The team ended the league campaign on a nine-match winless run.
In a BBC WM Q&A last month, Edwards did not hide the scale of the problems.
He added that the club was "in a mess" when he arrived.We're a collective and I'll take responsibility of course but it's not an effort thing, it's the fact that we're the worst team in the league. That's the bottom line.
The timing
Edwards' dismissal surprised observers. He had appeared in a social media video announcing striker Raúl Jiménez's return to Molineux only two days earlier. Technical director Matt Jackson had said last month that the club's hierarchy was aligned in supporting Edwards.
The plan and the goal is to get promoted straight away but we understand a lot of change has to take place. If there isn't alignment here, we're dead in the water before we start.
Championship preparations
Wolves had already begun building for life in the second tier. The club signed former England right-back Kieran Trippier on a free transfer from Newcastle, a deal in which Edwards was described as instrumental. Mexico striker Raúl Jiménez also returned for a second spell at Molineux after his Fulham contract expired.
Peixoto lined up
British and Portuguese media report that César Peixoto, the 46-year-old coach of Gil Vicente, is set to replace Edwards. Peixoto led the Portuguese club to a sixth-place finish in the Primeira Liga in the 2025-26 season. He has managed several clubs in Portugal since retiring as a player in 2019, with his Gil Vicente tenure being his longest at any club. As a player, Peixoto appeared for Porto, Braga and Benfica and earned one cap for Portugal in 2008.
- Edwards appointed on a three-and-a-half-year contract, replacing Vítor Pereira. Wolves bottom with 2 points from 11 matches.
- Wolves win their first Premier League match of the season under Edwards.
- Wolves relegated to the Championship, ending an eight-season top-flight stay.
- Edwards tells BBC WM the club is 'in a mess' and the team is 'the worst in the league.'
- Edwards appears in a social media video announcing Raúl Jiménez's return.
- Wolves sack Edwards. César Peixoto of Gil Vicente is reported as the leading candidate to replace him.
