Rob Edwards shares honest verdict on losing Wolves players to AFCON

Losing players to AFCON is never ideal, and Rob Edwards will see two of his squad participate in the tournament.

At the beginning of the season, it seemed that the premier international tournament in Africa was going to affect the Old Gold much more.

Players chosen to take part in the tournament will miss a minimum of three games for Wolves, but they could miss more.

However, Jackson Tchatchoua’s and Tolu Arokodare’s surprise exclusions, while a boost for Wolves, are certainly blows for the players.

Additionally, Marshall Munetsi’s latest injury meant Zimbabwe did not call him up, a reason Munetsi did not agree with, resulting in a war of words with his nation’s FA.

Now, it is just Emmanuel Agbadou and Tawanda Chirewa who have departed England to partake in AFCON, and the Wolves head coach has shared his honest thoughts.

Rob Edwards proud of his players for getting AFCON call-ups

While many managers might be frustrated at losing some of their better players mid-season, Rob Edwards has taken the opposite approach.

The Wolves head coach is ‘proud’ of his two players for receiving the call-ups, despite it making the Old Gold a weaker side.

Edwards said (via Wolves), “It’s great for them, and they’ll be really proud, and so they should be to represent their country in a major tournament.

“I’m really pleased and proud and hope they go and represent their nations with real pride. They’ll be great, and they’ll take loads from it.

“Good luck to them; go and smash it. Go and be exactly as they’ve been with me and show loads of pride, work incredibly hard, and I know you’ll do your nations proud.”

Tell us the Wolves defence you now want to see, with Agbadou leaving for AFCON!

Stick with a back three? A Krejci and Bueno partnership perhaps? Let us know in the comments 🤔

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With two of his first-team players away, Edwards will have to find some solutions. Particularly for one player who has started all of his games so far – Emmanuel Agbadou.

The Ivorian has also sent a message to his Wolves teammates as he departed for the tournament.

Tawanda Chirewa not as big a loss as Emmanuel Agbadou

Tawanda Chirewa has not featured often for the Wanderers, so his loss will not be felt too much. But the absence of Emmanuel Agbadou certainly will be.

The Ivorian has recently come into his own again, producing dominant defensive displays fans had become accustomed to last season.

For much of the start of this campaign, he had not been at his best and was deservedly dropped for a few weeks. Now, he is likely one of the first names in the starting XI, and that is a big loss.

However, while Agbadou and Chirewa are away, it opens the door for three Wolves players to be given a chance.