Wolverhampton Wanderers and their fans haven’t had many reasons to be happy in recent years, and that trend continued when they finished last in the 2025/26 Premier League.

The prospect of being relegated to the Championship can elicit the polar opposite feelings, as many clubs who have experienced the same fate can attest in their first second-tier season afterwards.

For supporters, it provides an opportunity to see new venues or ones they haven’t seen their team play in for many years, an extra eight league matches, and, to the delight of many, no VAR.

Along with newly relegated counterparts West Ham United and Burnley, the Old Gold and Black were among the earliest Championship promotion favourites, owing to factors such as the squad at Molineux in comparison to many upcoming divisional rivals, as well as the finances available to them.

And, despite his inability to win over supporters in the first several months of his career, it was expected that Rob Edwards would manage such a rebuild in West Virginia 1.

That was, of course, the case until the 43-year-old was notified in questionable circumstances by the club’s administration that he had been dismissed following a “comprehensive review,” with Cesar Peixoto, the manager of Gil Vicente, slated to replace him.

The most perplexing aspect of the decision, obviously, has been the timing, with Edwards remaining in place when Wolves announced the free agent acquisitions of Kieran Trippier and Raul Jimenez, though whether the former’s deal goes through remains to be seen.

Wolves risk Kieran Trippier accord falling through despite Rob Edwards’ resignation.

Trippier, 35, has spent the previous four and a half years with Newcastle United, joining for £12 million from Atlético Madrid and making 160 appearances for the Magpies, including their EFL Cup victory last March.

The guy who also scored in England’s FIFA World Cup 2018 semi-final loss to Croatia in Moscow has considerable experience across the pyramid, including 174 appearances, six goals, and 34 assists at Championship level, as well as a promotion from the second tier with Burnley 12 years ago.

After much anticipation and a’verbal agreement’ on the length of his deal, Trippier was introduced as Wanderers’ first summer signing, albeit it is legally a pre-contract arrangement until July 1st, when the 2026/27 season begins.

As a result, with Edwards citing a meeting between the two in the subsequent confirmation statement, Trippier was reportedly one of several first-team players outraged by Fosun’s decision to fire the former manager, and it has since been revealed that the defender is now considering his options, with other clubs’ offers still on the table for an eventual free transfer.

George Dobson, Wrexham transaction indicates Kieran Trippier’s viewpoint is not exceptional.

Naturally, the situation at Molineux has left many bewildered, but Trippier’s overall position isn’t the first time we’ve seen an EFL player’s pre-contract agreement rescinded before going to a new club.

George Dobson had become a staple in Charlton Athletic’s midfield between 2021 and 2024, when, after the Addicks were unable to reach a new contract deal, he signed a pre-contract agreement with Hungarian club Fehervar.

Such developments were ‘confirmed’ by the European side in February 2024, before Charlton confirmed Dobson’s departure two and a half months later.

As with Trippier’s deal, Dobson’s tenure at the Sostoi Stadion would begin on July 1st, 2024, however he agreed to cancel on the same day owing to personal reasons.

“I spoke to my family and I just felt it would be too hard and we agreed a mutual termination on 1 July,” the 28-year-old stated.

With the London native then a free agent, Wrexham swooped in with an initial three-year contract just five days later, and Dobson went on to become a major feature in Phil Parkinson’s side, which won their third consecutive promotion from the National League to the Championship.

In 2025/26, Dobson started 31 of his 40 second-tier games as the Red Dragons lost out on the play-offs, with the Welsh side benefiting from the aforementioned uncertainty over his future.

Wolves are on the opposite end of the spectrum from Trippier, and losing a player with so much experience due to circumstances beyond his control would be extremely harmful.