Just on Monday, Wolverhampton Wanderers made a high-profile signing in Kieran Trippier as part of their mission to return to the Premier League, but the deal is now in jeopardy: the former international reportedly feels betrayed by the club.
Wolverhampton Wanderers made headlines in the days leading up to the World Cup. After being relegated from the Premier League as the bottom-placed team, the Wolves not only brought back Mexican World Cup player Raúl Jiménez, who brings experience from 233 Premier League games (68 goals), but also signed Kieran Trippier, a 54-time England international, to a two-year deal.
But just five days after signing the 35-year-old, according to a report by Sky Sports, it remains to be seen whether the full-back will actually take the field at Molineux Stadium on July 1 following his departure from Newcastle United. Trippier, who has made 225 Premier League appearances and 45 Champions League appearances, reportedly feels “betrayed” by the club and is considering rescinding the contract he signed on Monday. This is possible because it was only a preliminary agreement and not a valid contract.
Trippier Surprised by Edwards’ Firing
The reason for this 180-degree turnaround is reportedly the club’s decision to part ways with manager Rob Edwards. The Wolves fired the 43-year-old Welshman on Thursday—a surprising move at this point, given that relegation had already been a certainty for months.
Edwards, who took over the club in November when it was languishing at the bottom of the table with two points after eleven games, had already been pushing ahead with plans for the new season in recent weeks; now, however, Cesar Peixoto from the Portuguese club Gil Vicente is set to lead the team’s return to the top flight—though possibly without Trippier.
Edwards was reportedly instrumental in securing his signature; the veteran player decided to join the Wolves specifically because of the coach’s intensive efforts and turned down other lucrative offers.
Trippier highlighted Edwards’ passion
“There were other clubs interested in me, but I wanted to come here,” Trippier was quoted as saying during his introduction. According to Sky Sports, he was understandably shocked when the club announced Edwards’ departure on Thursday.
“I had a good conversation with the manager, and the first thing I noticed was how passionately he’s working to move the club forward so we can get promoted from the Championship next season,” Trippier raved about Edwards during his introduction. “You just feel that kind of thing right away, and I felt that chemistry with the manager from the very start.”