Update on Adi Viveash situation at Middlesbrough emerges as Rob Edwards heads for Wolves

The stance Middlesbrough FC are hoping to take over the future of Adi Viveash has been reported amid Rob Edwards' pending move to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Viveash took interim charge of the Reds' 2-1 success over Birmingham City at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday afternoon, shortly after it was revealed that Edwards had been stood down on Teesside and the fact he could eventually begin talks with the Premier League club over the possibility of taking up the current vacancy at Molineux.

As such, it was a rather raucous atmosphere at the Riverside as those in the stands made their feelings known about Edwards, who had only joined the club himself back in June, having previously been out of a job for five months following his departure from Luton Town in January.

Viveash and fellow first-team coach, Harry Watling, alongside academy manager, Craig Liddle, were tasked with seeing Middlesbrough return to winning ways for the first time since October 22nd, and they were able to do so, with the 56-year-old creating plenty of post-match discourse for his passionate celebrations in sync with supporters as Boro returned to the automatic promotion places going into the final international break of 2025.

For owner, Steve Gibson, and other members of the hierarchy, their focus is now to use the two-week gap to crucially plan who is going to take over from Edwards on a full-time basis.

Whilst it may not be Viveash who takes the 'number one' place within the dugout despite a winning start as interim manager, the club are very much hopeful that his services are retained.

Middlesbrough FC Adi Viveash stance revealed amid pending Rob Edwards, Wolves announcement

Across the weekend, plenty of potential long-term replacements for Edwards have been reported, such as Brian Barry-Murphy, Tony Mowbray and Alex Neil.

Middlesbrough very much made their feelings about Edwards' departure clear in the club statements which have followed the latest and most crucial twists in the saga involving the 42-year-old, who is set to pen a three-and-a-half year contract with Wolves, where he was a player for four years between 2004 and 2008, as well as beginning his coaching career at Molineux.

A fresh report from Teesside Live on Monday morning has outlined that Boro will receive just shy of £4m in compensation fees for his exit, as well as outlining the next steps which those in the Riverside Stadium boardroom are likely to take.

It is said that a shortlist of candidates must first be drawn up, having previously had no immediate contingency plans in place due to the shock timing of Edwards' departure prior to Saturday's success over Birmingham, with Gibson to be in dialogue with chief executive, Neil Bausor and director of football, Kieran Scott.

The report states that the aforementioned Watling is set to join Edwards imminently at Molineux, whilst the North East club hope to keep Viveash in some capacity.

It is preferred by the hierarchy that the ex-Chelsea youth boss and Coventry City assistant stays on under a new regime, albeit it will depend on circumstances, with Viveash unable to add clarity regarding his own long-term future in his post-match press conference over the weekend.

Middlesbrough FC support could hold Adi Viveash exit fear after previous Coventry City developments

As previously mentioned, Viveash is highly-rated and respected within the EFL circuit, largely down to his work alongside Mark Robins at the CBS Arena between 2017 and 2024.

During a lengthy spell with the Sky Blues, the duo oversaw a rise from League Two to the Championship, a run to the play-off final which included a semi-final aggregate victory over Middlesbrough, as well as an FA Cup semi-final in 2023/24.

Viveash, though, would exit the club in July 2024, prior to City undergoing an extremely poor start to last season before Robins was dismissed in November of last year, although many cited a lacklustre run of performances down to the departure of their assistant.

As such, there may be a school of thought amongst Middlesbrough supporters that maintaining Viveash's services, regardless of who takes over, is a necessity, particularly with the Reds still firmly in the promotion mix-up after 15 games played.

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