While West Ham United kept the faith with Nuno Espirito Santo, another club who joined them in falling into the Championship would take a very different approach. Wolves have sacked Rob Edwards.
A strange decision, from an outside perspective.
Wolves hired Edwards when they were eight points adrift in the relegation zone in the Premier League. Surely his appointment was a tell-tale sign of a club preparing for an inevitable relegation? Edwards’ impressive track record in the second tier – he left Middlesbrough in top spot and famously took Luton Town up – seemingly only proved the theory.
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Yet, two weeks after West Ham United announced that Nuno Espirito Santo is staying at the London Stadium, Wolverhampton Wanderers opted to dismiss a ‘proven’ Championship manager with one, well, about as ‘unproven’ as they come.
Pablo Felipe knows all about Cesar Peixoto, even if few in the Black Country do.
The Athletic say that Wolves are set to appoint Peixoto as Edwards’ replacement. This means that, assuming he sticks around, Pablo will be reunited with a very familiar face when West Ham face Wolves in the Championship next season.
Pablo Felipe’s former coach is set to join West Ham United’s promotion rivals Wolves
Cesar Peixoto was the man who confirmed Pablo’s £20 million move to West Ham in January.
That he managed to coax ten goals in 13 Primeira Liga matches out of a striker who barely even threatened one in 17 matches for the Hammers can be read in one of two ways.
One; that Peixoto has a penchant for getting the best out of the options available to him. Or, two, that the gap between the Portuguese league and the Premier League is nothing short of colossal.
West Ham will be hoping that Pablo can silence his critics with a full pre-season under his belt, and against lesser opposition.
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Potential title rivals Wolves, meanwhile, will be hoping that a coach who took Gil Vicente from 13th to sixth can have a similarly galvanising effect at Molineux.
“[Pablo] is a kid who has grown a lot here. He’s been crucial [to Gil Vicente’s rise],” Peixoto said of his former talisman.
“Pablo has become a very complete player. He’s strong in supporting the attack, in attacking the box, and works very hard for the team.”
While there can be no doubts about Pablo’s work-rate, his ability to make the transition from Portuguese football to the English game remains the subject of considerable concern. Wolves will be hoping that Peixoto enjoys far more success in his first 17 games on UK soil.
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