Given Rob Edwards’ impending transfer to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Middlesbrough FC is reportedly hoping to take over Adi Viveash’s future.
Shortly after it was announced that Edwards had been stood down on Teesside and that he could eventually start negotiations with the Premier League club about the possibility of filling the current vacancy at Molineux, Viveash took interim charge of the Reds’ 2-1 victory over Birmingham City at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
As a result, the atmosphere at the Riverside was somewhat boisterous as fans expressed their opinions about Edwards, who had only joined the team in June after losing his job for five months after leaving Luton Town in January.
As Boro returned to the automatic promotion spots heading into the final international break of 2025, Viveash, fellow first-team coach Harry Watling, and academy manager Craig Liddle were tasked with getting Middlesbrough back to winning ways for the first time since October 22nd. They succeeded, and the 56-year-old generated a lot of post-match conversation for his fervent celebrations in time with supporters.
The owner, Steve Gibson, and other hierarchy members are now concentrating on using the two-week break to strategically decide who will replace Edwards on a full-time basis.
The club is quite hopeful that Viveash will be kept, even though he may not be the “number one” player in the dugout despite having a strong start as interim manager.
Adi Viveash’s position for Middlesbrough FC is made public while Rob Edwards and Wolves are still to be announced.
Over the weekend, a number of possible long-term Edwards replacements were mentioned, including Alex Neil, Tony Mowbray, and Brian Barry-Murphy.
In the club statements that have followed the most recent and significant developments in the story of the 42-year-old, who is set to sign a three-and-a-half-year contract with Wolves, where he played for four years between 2004 and 2008 and started his coaching career at Molineux, Middlesbrough made their feelings about Edwards’ departure very clear.
Boro will get just under £4 million in compensation fees for his departure, according to a new report from Teesside Live on Monday morning. The story also outlines the next course of action that the people in the Riverside Stadium boardroom are expected to take.
With no immediate backup plans in place due to the unexpected timing of Edwards’ departure before Saturday’s victory over Birmingham, it is said that a shortlist of candidates must first be created. Gibson will speak with director of football Kieran Scott and chief executive Neil Bausor.
According to the source, the North East club want to retain Viveash in some form, while the aforementioned Watling is expected to join Edwards at Molineux shortly.
The hierarchy wants the former Chelsea youth manager and Coventry City assistant to remain under a new leadership, however this will depend on the situation. Viveash was unable to provide any clarification on his own long-term future during his press conference following the game over the weekend.
Support from Middlesbrough FC may keep Adi Viveash from leaving after past events in Coventry City.
As was already established, Viveash’s work with Mark Robins at the CBS Arena from 2017 to 2024 has earned him a good rating and recognition within the EFL circuit.
The pair managed a run to the play-off final, which featured an aggregate victory over Middlesbrough in the semi-final, an FA Cup semi-final in 2023–2024, and a climb from League Two to the Championship during a protracted tenure with the Sky Blues.
Although many noted a lackluster run of performances up until the departure of their assistant, Viveash would leave the club in July 2024, before City had an incredibly bad start to the previous season before Robins was fired in November of last year.
As a result, some Middlesbrough fans might believe that keeping Viveash on board, no matter who comes over, is essential, especially as the Reds are still very much in the running for promotion after 15 games.
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