The Daily Mail has revealed further details about Wolves' sudden managerial change. Despite repeatedly claiming they would reduce their reliance on agent Mendes, the club's management continues to call "Uncle Jorge" whenever the team faces difficulties. Notably, Edwards had just facilitated Jimenez's return and recruited major players like Trippier. External speculation suggests the decision to replace the manager was made at the end of last season, merely waiting for a suitable replacement. Cezar Peixoto, recommended by Mendes, is a Portuguese manager with no Premier League experience. All players in the squad are deeply unhappy with this sudden managerial change, and Wolves' insensitive dismissal process has also damaged the club's reputation.

Whenever Wolves changes manager or reshuffles the coaching staff behind the scenes, the external narrative is remarkably consistent: the club will no longer be overly dependent on Jorge Mendes.

Yet, ten years after Chinese conglomerate Fosun Group acquired the club, Wolves appears to have come full circle: the team has fallen to the Championship, a local English manager has been sacked and replaced by a Portuguese coach unproven in English football, and Mendes continues to play a pivotal role behind the scenes.

According to an exclusive Daily Mail report, Guo Guangchang, Fosun Group's chairman, personally oversaw this managerial change. Last December, the inexperienced Shi Zhixiang replaced John Shi as club chairman. Due to Shi Zhixiang's lack of operational experience in football, Guo Guangchang has since been heavily involved in various team matters. Last season, Rob Edwards managed the team through 27 Premier League matches, losing 15, falling short of expectations and prompting Guo Guangchang to ultimately decide on his dismissal.

Rob Edwards' situation is particularly unfortunate. He had actively promoted Raul Jimenez's return, completed Kieran Trippier's transfer, and extended Brazilian midfielder Andre's contract. On Wednesday afternoon, the club's official channels were still publishing his interview discussing Jimenez's arrival. Yet within 24 hours, he lost his position; even Thursday morning, Wolves' website still carried his comments about Jimenez.

The Daily Mail understands that Rob Edwards heard rumors of his dismissal Wednesday evening. His agent immediately contacted Wolves to verify the situation, but only Thursday morning was he formally informed by phone that he had been sacked after just seven months in charge.

Despite overseeing several important summer signings, Rob Edwards was dismissed disrespectfully by Wolves.

The timing of this managerial change is peculiar. Reports suggest Guo Guangchang decided to replace Rob Edwards at the end of last season, with Wolves simply waiting for a suitable manager to emerge.

Peixoto had previously been linked with Benfica's position, and some within Wolves believed his failure to join was only because Marco Silva was more prominent. However, Portuguese sources differ: Cezar Peixoto himself may not have been as eager to join Benfica.

Regardless of the truth, whenever the team faces difficulties, Wolves' management always reactivates their contacts and calls "Uncle Jorge."

The full process of Wolves securing Cezar Peixoto remains unclear, but a reasonable assumption is that Guo Guangchang lost patience with the current coaching staff and subsequently contacted Mendes.

Mendes is one of football's best-connected agents, representing high-profile clients including Mourinho, Ronaldo, and Emery. He can always recommend suitable candidates, and this time he recommended Peixoto.

Mendes' representative, Valdir Cardoso, has long been based in England. During Wolves' peak period from 2017 to 2020, he maintained close personal relationships with many players at the club, even occasionally staying at their homes. Cardoso will continue to play an important role in the club's future operations.

But this time, which batch of players will Mendes bring? Will they be the capable players from Nuno's era—such as Neves, João Moutinho, and Raul Jimenez—who helped Wolves rise from the Championship to the Premier League in just two years and reach the Europa League quarter-finals?

Or will they be underperformers like Fabio Silva and Fer Lopez who failed to adapt? These post-2020 signings are also a major factor in the team's continued decline. Mendes was also involved in last summer's transfer window, which proved disastrous: Wolves failed to recruit anyone with Premier League experience, Vítor Pereira was sacked last autumn, and Rob Edwards took over in an emergency.

This managerial change cannot fail. All club plans revolve around swift Premier League promotion, which is why Wolves retained Andre and recruited Trippier and Jimenez on high wages. The team intends to fully utilize the relegation parachute payments to secure promotion and return in just one season.

Cezar Peixoto's immediate priority after taking over will be to calm players shocked by this sudden change. Some players are dissatisfied with how the club handled the situation.

Further personnel changes may be forthcoming, but Wolves have moved to deny rumors, rejecting reports that technical director Matt Jackson will follow Rob Edwards out.

In mid-May, the Daily Mail learned that Rob Edwards' assistant, Rui Silva, was initially considered as a candidate to replace the head coach. This did not materialize, but it was enough to show that behind the scenes, currents were already flowing before the season ended. Rui Silva worked under Nuno during his Wolves tenure and remained with the team after Rob Edwards took over. It remains unclear whether he will stay to assist Peixoto or pursue other opportunities.

Wolves frequently make self-sabotaging decisions that leave fans helpless. For years, supporters have grown weary of the team's continued performance decline on the pitch and the club's lack of operational transparency. In May this year, the club specifically held a fan forum, with Shi Zhixiang, Rob Edwards, and Jackson all present, attempting to bridge the gap with supporters.

Following this, Trippier arrived and Jimenez returned—the latter becoming Wolves' most beloved star since Steve Bull. Since Pereira dramatically secured survival in spring 2025, fans had regained positive feelings about the team for the first time.

Fans initially hoped to build a new squad around the two new signings, Jimenez and Trippier, alongside Andre and promising young talent Matheus Nunes, filled with anticipation. In one home match last season, Rob Edwards was even booed by supporters, but fans were gradually beginning to accept the manager.

Even if we accept Wolves' official explanation that the decision to replace Rob Edwards was made and they were simply waiting for the right manager, he still deserved more respectful treatment.

If he could be sacked at any moment, why allow him to enthusiastically discuss new recruitment plans and prospects for the coming season? This conduct appears petty and short-sighted. Regardless of his managerial abilities, Rob Edwards is an honest and dutiful man who deserved equal respect.

Yet Fosun Group's growth into a global corporation has never relied solely on sentiment. This decisive managerial change vaguely echoes Paul Lambert's dismissal and Nuno's appointment in 2017. That personnel adjustment proved highly successful, and hopefully this one will too.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.