Rob Edwards first signing as Wolves boss should be obvious - he’s scored 38 times in the Premier League
Rob Edwards return to Wolves could potentially inspire another exciting reunion
After a five-year-absence, former youth team coach and defender Rob Edwards is back at Wolves for the third time in his career.
Edwards has replaced Vitor Pereira in the Molineux dugout, marking yet another change after Gary O’Neil’s departure 11 months ago.
“I’ve got to be honest, this job was always my aim. This is the dream,” said Edwards.
He added: “I know the situation that we’re in right now, but this is just something that I’ve always wanted, and I’m ready for it. I’m ready for the challenge, I’m up for it, and it’s been great getting around everybody, seeing so many faces that I know, and new faces as well. The staff are all up for it and we’ll meet the players next week when everyone arrives back, and I know the lads will be as well.”
Wolves first January signing should be obvious
Rob Edwards arrives with the task of trying to inspire Wolves to a great escape. In order to do so, he'll need to hit the ground running in the first few weeks with the tools he has at his disposal before leaping into a very competitive January window to try and ensure his team leaves the winter period stronger than they start it.
He’s experienced a Premier League relegation scrap before with Luton Town, and though he wasn’t able to lead the Hatters to safety in the end, he was praised for making the group competitive under an extremely tight budget as he landed one real gem in the form of Ross Barkley.
Barkley was written off by many in the footballing world when he made his move to Kenilworth Road. He was a fallen Everton wonderkid that had a mixed spell at Chelsea which was blighted by injury as well as a fairly average spell at Nice in France.
He joined Luton on a free and proved a real coup, scoring five times and providing as many assists. Many praised Barkley throughout the season and even called for him to get an England call-up while playing under Edwards.
In April 2024, Sky revealed he had completed the most take-ons of any player in the league at that time while operating in a slightly deeper midfield role.He was also the fifth most prolific at winning the ball back in the middle of the park and was the heartbeat behind Luton’s valiant push to try and stay in the division.
He’d instantly provide Wolves with an upgrade in terms of creativity and goal threat if he arrived in January. He’s played 289 games and counting in the Premier League and has a record of 38 goals and 34 assists in total over the course of his career.
Could Ross Barkley leave Aston Villa?
After joining for £5m in the summer of 2024, Ross Barkley played 30 times in total at Villa during his debut season, scoring four and contributing two assists. He played six times in the Champions League and scored a crucial strike in a 3-2 win against RB Leipzig to help the team progress to the knockout stages.
However, he was not named in the club’s Europa League squad at the start of the season, and has struggled for gametime this term due to the strong competition Villa have at their disposal.
He’s not started at all yet this term and all of his five appearances have come from the bench. He’s got 18 months remaining on his contract and could potentially be made available either on a cut-price fee or on a six-month loan until the end of the campaign.
Barkley has previously sung the praises of Edwards’ man-management and that could be a factor that’d help this particular deal if a move was to be made.
He told Sky Sports back in 2024: "I've never really spoken to a manager the way he spoke to me. I knew straight away. He was just so positive. He said, 'Just come, I want you to show how good you are, get back to your Everton days and help us stay in the league.”