Perhaps Nuno Espirito Santo was right to demote Wolves. It was the popular Portuguese manager who led the club to the Premier League eight years ago. He currently plays for West Ham, and his points at Crystal Palace meant his former club returned to the Championship.
With five games remaining, the reality is that Wolves have been relegated, at least since the start of the season. They lost their first six games and were never able to climb out of last place, let alone finish outside of the bottom three.
It’s worth pointing out what a miserable effort this has been, since it’s seemed inevitable for so long. Derby’s worst points record was avoided, but they were a newly promoted side, similar to Southampton last season.
In fact, of the top 10 lowest points totals in Premier League history (Wolves are likely to join that list soon), the only time such an established club has failed so badly was Aston Villa’s relegation 10 years ago after 28 years in the top division.
As with Villa, most would agree that the issues that led to this issue predate the current campaign. The Timberwolves have endured a downturn in two of the past three seasons. They were at the bottom of the table by Christmas 2022, but things turned around with the arrival of Vitor Pereira last season.
Star players have been sold and sold repeatedly. This also applies to prestigious B clubs such as Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton, Wolves’ former rivals in the middle class, where the challenge is to reinvest funds wisely. The wolf wasn’t like that.
Yes, there were some puzzling tactical decisions by Pereira in the fall. And frustration arose among fans when his replacement, Rob Edwards, failed to hit the ground running, losing all of his first seven games, ending any hopes of a new manager’s comeback.
Wolves supporters can also point to the lack of investment from owner Fosun. They recall how former president Geoff See once spoke of the club’s Champions League ambitions during the heady days of successive seventh-place finishes under Nuno.
But the model for all but the ultra-rich Premier League clubs relies on buying well. Wolves spent more than £150m in transfer fees over two periods in 2025. Looking at the list of acquisitions, there was very little return on that money.
Emmanuel Agbadu and Marshall Munetsi have already been shipped. The subsequent summer signing of six players, with no Premier League experience between them, did not cover the departures of Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait Nouri and Nelson Semedo.
John Arias is back in Brazil. Fer López has returned to Celta Vigo. Jackson Ciaccia brings pace but little else. David Moller-Wolf has not been able to dislodge left-back Hugo Bueno. Tolu Alokodare is away from the team despite being the club’s only target man.
Cans have been carried for a long time. The Timberwolves have fired both the manager and athletic director who oversaw most of the additions. See, who has been criticized for years, was transferred in December amid a string of defeats for Edwards. His successor, Nathan See, has nothing to do with it.
His job is to switch focus to next season and a tough rebuild. Steps are being taken to repair the relationship between the club and its supporters. Season tickets are now on sale at a discounted price. The new guy is listening to his fans and making the right noises.
For Edwards, the best result came with Aston Villa and Molineux winning at home against an old-school Liverpool side. But convincing a group that knows they are depressed and will soon be separated proves to be a tricky task for him.
Knowledge is now expected to be an advantage. The new chairman has issued a statement highlighting the work he has done since taking over to ensure Wolves are responsive. New technical director Matt Jackson also had time to prepare.
But ultimately, while these figures quietly speak of a cultural shift taking place, the reason Wolves are leaving the Premier League is their poor recruitment. And the key to whether or not they can return is the recruiting process right now.
Edwards understands that. He spoke of how the club “lives and dies” with reinforcements, noting the fact that mistakes have been made over the years at Wolves. Expect a change of emphasis in the championship.
The January signing of Adam Armstrong, a player with more than a century of goals in the Football League, is seen as a tacit admission that experience is needed when negotiating in the second tier. This summer’s personnel shakeup will be major.
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Its importance to the Wolves cannot be overstated. It is vitally important that we get promoted to the Premier League before the parachute payment deadline. You don’t need to see the road to West Brom or across the Midlands to Leicester to know that the road could go wrong.
The last time Wolves were relegated from the Premier League in 2012, they suffered a dreadful double dip and fell back down the table. The exact same thing happened in 2024 when Edwards himself was relegated from the Premier League with Luton.
Both will want to do more than just avoid that fate. The ambition is to go on another journey similar to the one I enjoyed with Nuno. But first there’s a mess that needs to be cleaned up. The upset ended Wolves’ eight-year stay in the Premier League.
