Wolves Tear Themselves Apart Again With Another Portuguese Arrival
The 2025/26 English Premier League campaign was one that more than kept fans of all colours up and down the country entertained with the headlines and controversies that were created. But it seems like Midlands side, Wolverhampton Wanderers, may be making an attempt to top all of that this summer with the news this week that manager Rob Edwards has unexpectedly parted company with them after only seven months in the job.
As many will already be aware, Wolves ultimately lost their top flight status last season after a number of years of effectively standing still, both in the top flight division but particularly in the two transfer market windows allowed. Wolves fans will point to the very deliberate decision to step away from signing Jorge Mendes' brightest GestiFute talents (read they stopped being offered it seems), and instead began seriously overpaying for players who could not cope, let alone impress, at the Premier League level.
This was also whilst systematically selling off and cashing in on the players who won them promotion from the Championship in the first place, and had them flying high and looking forwards towards Europe for a period. Fans who made certain predictions on the back of those trends will definitely be looking at World Cup betting odds given that tournament kicks off this week and there are so many David vs Goliath battles already set up for the group stage games.
Despite Mendes' influence at Molineux, with Wolves' owners having a small stake in his own player agency, recent decisions - and managerial appointments - have seriously backfired and in November after the latest disaster, they drafted in former player, former caretaker gaffer and former Under 21 manager, Rob Edwards, to steady the ship with the full acceptance that they would likely need a second tier rebuild as relegation looked odds on.
The 43 year old left a good job at Middlesbrough, where he was backed and had been fighting for promotion, to make the switch back to what he considered 'his club' knowing full well his choice may define his career stock given the problems they faced. As fully expected, Wolves finished in 20th place in the table with only 20 points and fans were at least looking forward to seeing what a complete rebuild could do for their fortunes - but now they might not even get that.
It seems Mendes may have swung his influence around the corridors of power once again because thanks to social media, Edwards now knows that he has been sacked and it seems his entire reason for being offered the job - and accepting said job - is now no longer a reason, as yet another Mendes client has been appointed.
Welcome Cesar Peixoto...yes, his first line up during pre season may be less unknown than he is, but as entirely expected, he is Portuguese. With Raul Jimenez already agreeing to return to the club, and Kieran Trippier signing on with Edwards being noted as key to the deal - it is fair to say they are probably also wondering what changed in the space of a Black Country tea break.
After all, the 'sporting direction' they signed under has now been decided as the wrong one as the Wolves board have now determined that a 'different sporting direction would provide the strongest platform for future success'. So has a board who got the club relegated from a position of strength really just implied they know the game better than storied and experienced internationals who have just agreed that Edwards' plan for next season would have likely delivered Premier League football once again?
Or has Mendes assured them he can repeat his earlier trick and have fellow member clubs once again asking about sporting integrity where a football agent with his own companies best interests at heart, dictates that a second tier club receives an advantage no other can - even if there is only a short term benefit before he again decides that it is in his client's best interests, and not the clubs', for them to move on? It may be worth keeping a weather eye on 'The Wolves' this year as a neutral could find themselves very entertained.
Wolverhampton Wanderers