Rob Edwards has now emerged as the leading candidate to become the next Wolves head coach.
The former Molineux player has been linked with the club since Vitor Pereira was sacked on Sunday following defeat to Fulham.
Edwards reportedly has a release clause, and that would make negotiations for the former Welsh international all the easier for Jeff Shi.
However, Shi also wants to hire Edwards for a reason other than the simplicity of a potential deal.
The reason Jeff Shi wants to hire Rob Edwards at Wolves
Wolves are set to enter talks with Rob Edwards after previous reports put the Middlesbrough boss at the top of their shortlist.
Those reports stated that talks with Edwards had begun, but there was no decision on whether a move was to be made.
However, now Telegraph journalist John Percy has said that Wolves will make a formal approach for Edwards later today (Thursday).
The report by Percy says, “Edwards is highly regarded by the Molineux hierarchy and, in particular, executive chairman Jeff Shi.
“Wolves are hoping that the 42-year-old’s long association with the club persuades him to leave Middlesbrough and join them within the next few days.
“Edwards was always high on Wolves’ list of targets as they held discussions with Gary O’Neil, who withdrew himself from the process on Monday despite agreeing terms. He also appeals as he has prior experience of the Premier League after his time with Luton Town in the 23/24 season.”
Middlesbrough do not want to lose their manager, who has them in 3rd place after 14 games, but if the news about a release is true, they may not have a choice in whether they keep him.
Shi’s reasoning behind wanting Edwards does make sense despite Luton being relegated in the season mentioned.
Wolves have a stronger squad than Luton had in 2023/2024
While Wolves’ squad could have more quality, the team Rob Edwards had in the Premier League with Luton was much weaker.
Just Ross Barkley (Aston Villa), Albert Sambi Lokonga (Hamburg SV), and Daiki Hashioka (Slavia Prague) are still playing top-flight football across Europe among his 2023/2024 squad.
That is in comparison to a Wolves side that has Jorgen Strand Larsen, who was touted for upwards of £60 million earlier in the summer window.
The Old Gold also have other quality talents such as Ladislav Krejci, who has shown he is capable of top performances in England’s top flight.
Edwards did a decent job with Luton in the Premier League despite getting relegated. They were favourites to come rock bottom, but he managed to keep their survival hopes alive until the last day of the season.
Ultimately, he would fail to keep the Hatters up, but with just a couple more quality additions, who knows what Luton might have achieved that season?
It makes sense as to why Jeff Shi wants to hire him.