Rob Edwards will be under no illusions about the size of the job ahead of him after his first Premier League match in the dugout for Wolverhampton Wanderers ended in a defeat last weekend.
The Old Gold were beaten 2-0 by Crystal Palace at the Molineux, thanks to goals from Daniel Munoz and Yeremy Pino, and that leaves them bottom of the table with two points after 12 matches.
Edwards needs to find a way to turn results around in the short term, no doubt, but he also has the upcoming January transfer window to make some changes to the squad. One player, of many, who should be replaced is central midfielder Marshall Munetsi.
Why Wolves need to replace Marshall Munetsi
He started in the middle of the park against Crystal Palace on Saturday and won three of his 14 duels in 66 minutes on the pitch, per Sofascore, which shows how lightweight the midfield flop was.
The 29-year-old dud has failed to impress in the Premier League since his move from Stade Reims in February, with poor form in the second half of last season and in the current campaign.
Munetsi lost 51% of his duels and only completed 74% of his passes in the 2024/25 campaign, and has lost 54% of his duels with a dismal 62% pass accuracy this season in the top-flight, per Sofascore.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
These statistics show that the £70k-per-week midfielder has not been reliable enough in or out of possession, which is why Edwards should replace him by swooping for one of his former Middlesbrough stars, Hayden Hackney.
Why Wolves need to sign Hayden Hackney
During Vitor Pereira’s time in charge during the summer transfer window, it was reported that Wolves were willing to pay a fee of around £30m to sign the Boro ace, but a move never materialised.
Now, Edwards must reignite that interest in the January transfer window because the England U21 international could arrive at the club as a big upgrade on Munetsi in the middle of the park, allowing the manager to finally ditch him.
Hackney, who was hailed as a “fearless” talent by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has caught the eye with his performances in the second tier this season and could arrive with a positive mentality that could inject some energy into the currently dull Wolves squad.
Appearances
12
16
Pass accuracy
62%
85%
Goals
1
3
xA
0.38
3.24
Assists
1
2
Completed dribbles per game
0.4
1.3
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.4
2.4
As you can see in the table above, the English talent has shown a lot of quality in possession in the middle of the park for Middlesbrough, whilst Munetsi has struggled to make much of an impact with the ball at his feet.
Whilst Hackney has played in the division below the Premier League, the Boro star’s statistics suggest that he does have the potential to come in as an upgrade on the former Ligue 1 midfielder.
The 23-year-old star, who scored five goals for Middlesbrough in the 2024/25 campaign, is also six years younger than Munetsi, 29, which means that he has far more time left ahead of him to develop and improve as a player.
Wolves fans may not want to read this, but Hackney would also be a signing who could be incredibly useful for the club if they do get relegated, because he is a proven Championship star, whilst Munetsi has never played at that level.
Before Gomes: Edwards must sell Wolves star who's made them a "worse side"
This Wolves player has been disappointing this season
ByJoe Nuttall
Therefore, Edwards should push for a reunion with the English gem in January in order to finally ditch Munetsi from the starting line-up, hopefully improving the team in the process.