Now that Vitor Pereira has left Wolves, Jeff Shi is the man under the microscope at Molineux.
Chelsea is just around the corner, but all the focus is on the hunt for a new Wolves manager.
The main target right now is clear. Wolves want Rob Edwards, and he is interested.
A small snag in the pursuit is the fact that Middlesbrough don’t want Edwards to talk with Wolves, desperate to hold onto their manager as they work towards promotion back to the Premier League.
Whether or not Edwards takes the role, it shows that chairman Jeff Shi is thinking along the right lines — a rarity these days.
Jeff Shi’s personal interest in Rob Edwards suggests a lesson learned
We found out on Thursday that Shi wants Edwards for his Premier League experience, having coached Luton during the 2023/24 season. While they weren’t able to avoid the drop, the 42-year-old’s time in the top-flight puts him in good stead.
That was the problem with Wolves links to Rui Vitoria and Abel Ferreira. They are managers who haven’t competed in England, and especially not in the Premier League.
While Pereira came in with a similar resume and succeeded, finding someone who knows how to win in this league will give Wolves the best chances of clawing their way back into survival contention. There’s more of a risk when trusting a manger who has only competed overseas.
Shi seems to be learning from past mistakes, but equally, you wouldn’t be surprised to hear him do a complete 180 from his current position.
Shi under pressure at Wolves
The manager is gone. That’s always the first casualty when a team aren’t reaching the required levels.
But Pereira’s departure shifts the weight of responsibility onto Shi.
After Wolves fans sent a strongly worded letter to Guo Guangchang, speculation over Shi’s future at the club has grown. He’ll be next on the chopping block if the new manager fails to bed in quickly, and he’ll be well aware of that fact.
As frustrating as his reign has been at times, the best thing for Wolves would be for Shi to succeed — for now — and for the new hire to hit the ground running.