Wolverhampton Wanderers have dismissed Rob Edwards after just seven months at the helm, ending a troubled stint that culminated in relegation from the Premier League.

Edwards had taken charge at Molineux in November, stepping in after Vitor Pereira's exit. The 43-year-old arrived on the back of an impressive run with Middlesbrough, whom he had guided to second place in the Championship — a move that came only five months into his tenure at the Riverside.

An uphill battle from day one

The task facing Edwards was daunting from the outset. He inherited a squad rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table, having collected only two points from their first 11 matches and sitting nine points from safety at the time of his arrival.

It was not Edwards' first brush with the Wolves dugout — he had previously served as interim manager following Walter Zenga's dismissal in 2016, and had spent time at the club as both a player and a coach across four separate spells.

Despite pulling off memorable victories over reigning champions Liverpool and a strong Aston Villa side, Wolves could not sustain the form required to beat the drop. Edwards managed just 18 points from a possible 81, and the club's relegation — ending eight seasons in the top flight — was confirmed in mid-April.

New chapter in the Championship

Wolves had already begun preparing for second-tier football, with Kieran Trippier signing on a free transfer and fan favourite Raul Jimenez returning to the club.

However, Edwards will not lead that project. According to The Guardian, owners Fosun International have identified Gil Vicente head coach Cesar Peixoto as his replacement. Peixoto has managed exclusively within Portugal to date, though he holds an existing connection to Molineux — he is represented by Gestifute, the agency owned by super-agent Jorge Mendes.

Fosun hold a minority stake in Gestifute, and the agency's influence at the club runs deep: five of Wolves' last six permanent managerial appointments over the past nine years — Edwards included — have come through Mendes' network. That relationship has also shaped the club's recruitment, with numerous Portuguese players arriving at Molineux across the past decade.

Wolves will learn their first Championship opponents when the second-tier fixtures are published on 25 June.