Rob Edwards claimed the chance to manage Wolves was impossible to resist – even with them apparently hurtling towards the Championship.
Edwards enraged Middlesbrough supporters by choosing to leave the club, who had made an excellent start to the campaign, and return to Molineux, where he worked as both player and coach.
Speaking about his decision to depart Boro, Edwards said: ‘I want to be respectful towards Middlesbrough and I know I would have let them down.
‘But I have to live my life, enjoy it and take risks. We are not around for a long and I didn’t want to look back in the future and think ‘Maybe I should have given (the Wolves job) a go.
‘I was in a great job with very good people and we’d done well. But this was something I’ve wanted to do for a long time and the opportunity to manage Wolves in the Premier League might never have come up again.
‘My family and the people close to me know how much this club means to me and they know why I’ve made this decision. People who don’t know me will have their own opinions.
‘My family and the people close to me know how much this club means to me and they know why I’ve made this decision,’ Edwards said of his decision to join relegation-threatened Wolves
Edwards enraged Boro fans by choosing to leave the club after an excellent start to the season
‘It’s been an aim of mine to coach Wolves since I started working with the Under-18s here about 11 years ago. I don’t think I’d swap (a Championship promotion fight) for this situation (a Premier League relegation battle) at any other club.’
Edwards’ first game will be at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday. Wolves have yet to win this season and their two points from 11 games puts them eight adrift of safety.
Supporters have long since turned against owners Fosun and executive chairman Jeff Shi and Edwards accepted there needs to be ‘realism’ about the future.
He said: ‘We can’t bury our heads in the sand and be caught out if things don’t go the way we want. Our focus is on making sure we are a Premier League club next season but we all know where we’re at and there is realism.’