Middlesbrough head coach Rob Edwards has been stood down from taking charge of Saturday’s Championship game against Birmingham amid continued interest from Wolves over their vacant managerial position.
Edwards did not take Boro training on Friday, and a press conference to preview the Riverside clash against Chris Davies’ side was cancelled.
Boro had rejected an approach from Wolves on Thursday seeking permission to speak to the former Luton boss, but with increased scrutiny on his position, the club have opted to remove him from his matchday duties.
Sky Sports News reported Edwards was a candidate for the Wolves role after Vitor Pereira was sacked on November 2 following a 10-game winless start to the Premier League season.
He has been among several names under consideration but is now seen as the favoured candidate at Molineux.
The Middlesbrough boss has a history with Wolves, having made over 100 appearances for them during his time there as a player from 2004 to 2008.
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Edwards has history with Wolves as a player and youth coach
He was part of the club’s coaching staff, working with the U18s in 2014 before being promoted to a coaching role with the first team in 2015. He later became head coach of the U23s in 2019, a position he held before joining Forest Green Rovers in 2021.
Edwards replaced Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough in the summer, and has led them to third place in the Championship.
When previously asked about becoming Pereira’s successor at Molineux, he claimed that he was fully focused on his job at the Riverside Stadium.
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Edwards has overseen a strong start to the season with Middlesbrough
“You know my links to the club [Wolves],” Edwards said. “But my full focus is on this job here, which is a brilliant job, and trying to turn things around.
“It’s all speculation anyway. I never get drawn on stuff that’s all hypothetical and I don’t want to get drawn on that.
“I love being Middlesbrough manager and that’s what I want to think about.
“All I can say is I’ve not given it a single thought because my focus is just on this. It’s all the stuff that my daughter was telling me about.”
Wolves previously held talks with former manager Gary O’Neil over returning to the club, but he withdrew from the race, citing a timing issue.
Wolves’ upcoming fixtures…November 22: Crystal Palace (h) – Premier League, kick-off 3pmNovember 30: Aston Villa (a) – Premier League, kick-off 2.05pm, live on Sky SportsDecember 3: Nottingham Forest (h) – Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm, live on Sky SportsDecember 8: Man Utd (h) – Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports