The Rob Edwards era has begun – and for Dave Edwards, there is something the new Wolves manager won’t shy away from.
It has been a busy week at Molineux, with Wanderers finally confirming Edwards’ appointment on Wednesday after days of talks.
Wolves got the green light from Middlesbrough to talk to Edwards at the weekend.
Wolves paid compensation to Boro in order to make the move happen, and Edwards has come in for a lot of criticism for taking this decision.
But Edwards said in a statement that Wolves are special, and that he was aware opportunities like this don’t come around too often.
It is certainly a huge opportunity for Edwards, and there’s no getting away from how big a job he has on his hands.
But Wolves are confident Edwards can unite the club, and there has been a lot of positive words about his character and personality.
Dave Edwards is a big supporter of this appointment as he knows Edwards very well – and he has now told Wolves fans about one thing that could happen that was quite rare under Vitor Pereira.
Dave Edwards says Rob Edwards won’t be afraid to call on youngsters at Wolves
Wolves have struggled massively this season.
Unfortunately, Wolves’ squad is now in a worse state than it was last season, with quality and leadership lacking.
A big January will be required if Wolves are to get out of trouble this season.
But it’s possible that in addition to new recruits, we could also be seeing more opportunities given to younger players, with Dave Edwards speaking about the Edwards appointment on The Official Wolves Podcast.
He said: “He had a huge respect of the younger lads. He was key in the development of Morgan Gibbs-White. I remember when Morgan first trained with us when he was 15. Rob was next to me and he said ‘Get on how good this lad is’. I didn’t know anything about Morgan at the time. He had the bit between his teeth, he was going to show to the pros how good he was.
“Rob at the end of the session came up to me and said ‘Guess how old he is?’, I was like ’17 or 18?’ and he was like ‘No he’s 15!” He played a big part in Morgan’s development.
“Bright Enobakhare as well. He was so good. As a youngster coming through. He had all the teams after him. Man City, Liverpool, all those. And Rob was instrumental in getting Bright to Wolves. Unfortunately it didn’t quite work out for whatever reason. But he had the ability to be a top, top Premier League player.
“Connor Ronan as well, he really developed him.
“So that’s exciting moving forward as well, because I know he’ll give young lads a chance if they’re ready. He’ll throw them in, because he has that working relationship at producing young players.”
Rob Edwards’ appointment could be the making of Mateus Mane
It is going to be interesting to see which young players at Wolves Edwards turns to, and how often.
Arguably, Mateus Mane is the best prospect at Molineux right now, and this season fans have been crying out for him to play more.
But for one reason or another, Vitor Pereira was reluctant to use him, naming him in just one matchday squad in 2025/26. It was actually really rare that Pereira turned to young players in general.
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Mane – who Pereira had called ‘special’ last season – eventually got his first minutes for the first-team in the Premier League defeat against Chelsea last weekend, with James Collins putting him on in the second-half.
With Edwards now in charge, there is potential for us to see much more of Mane.
Having been a youth team coach, it is fair to say that Edwards will want to use young players if he can. But of course, they must show him they are worthy.