Whilst Gary O’Neil has managed to keep hold of his position for the time being, Wolverhampton Wanderers now reportedly hold a real interest in appointing one particular Championship manager to replace him.
O’Neil remains under pressure at Wolves
Although many saw the West Ham game as the last chance for O’Neil to save his Wolves job, the Telegraph’s John Percy has since reported that the manager currently retains the backing of those in charge at Molineux and will be given the chance to turn his side’s disappointing form around before being supported with January signings.
That said, previous reports suggest that the Midlands club have at least been looking at other options, with names such as David Moyes and Graham Potter mentioned in recent weeks, only for neither to complete moves into the Wolves technical area.
Now, the Premier League strugglers could decide to look towards a familiar face should they decide to part ways with O’Neil. According to Molineux News, Wolves now have a real interest in replacing O’Neil with Rob Edwards, who made 111 appearances for the club as a player from 2004 to 2008.
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Edwards certainly knows what it would mean to keep Wolves in the Premier League, but that’s not to say it wouldn’t be a risky move. The Luton Town boss is currently facing struggles of his own since dropping down to the Championship with the Hatters last season. Among the favourites for promotion at the start of the season, Luton currently sit as low as 15th and just five points adrift of the dropzone in disappointing fashion.
Wolves should avoid risk of appointing “insane” Edwards
As much as the narrative behind a former player returning to the dugout to take Wolves to survival may appeal to those in the Midlands, Edwards already has one relegation on his CV and there’s no guarantee that he would perform better than the more experienced O’Neil, especially given Luton’s recent form.
Of course, had the links emerged last season when Edwards was at the centre of praise, then the risk may have been worthwhile. But Wolves can’t afford to take a gamble in their current position with Premier League safety on the line.
That said, there may still come a day when Edwards steps back into Premier League management, having received such high praise from Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp last season.
The former Reds boss told reporters as relayed by Luton Today: “The job Rob is doing there is insane. I’m not sure it’s really respected enough that a team with the amount of points they had in the beginning of the season making such a footballing development, I’m not sure I saw that before.
“When you saw the Man United game, it was an incredible game of Luton. Yes, they lost it, but it was an incredible game. They increased possession periods during the season in a really crazy way. Good players, obviously top, top coached.”