Rob

Sources close to the situation say Edwards was willing to complete all the duties he has been removed from, with Middlesbrough taking the decisions regarding Friday’s training session and news conference and Saturday’s match.

Middlesbrough are believed to have been angered by Wolves’ approach and Edwards’ openness to taking the job.

It is understood Edwards views the Wolves job as his dream role, having made more than 100 appearances for the Molineux side between 2004 and 2008.

He grew up in nearby Telford and still has family in the area, though the logistics of any move to Wolves are not said to be a key factor.

Wolves have made an approach to Middlesbrough about appointing Rob Edwards as their new head coach.

BBC Sport reported on Sunday that former Luton manager Edwards was among the leading contenders to replace Vitor Pereira, who was sacked following Wolves’ 10-game winless start to the Premier League season.

Wolves held talks with former boss Gary O’Neil, but the 42-year-old withdrew from the running on Monday.

Former Wolves player Edwards, also 42, has always been a strong candidate at Molineux and is emerging as the preferred choice.

It is understood the relegation-threatened club have made contact with Middlesbrough, who are third in the Championship, regarding their interest in appointing Edwards.

Whether that level of contact constitutes an official approach from Wolves to discuss the vacancy with Edwards is unclear, but the wheels are now in motion towards the Premier League side accelerating their plan to make an appointment.

It is understood Wolves would be required to pay significant compensation to Middlesbrough to secure Edwards, who only took over at the Riverside Stadium in June.

Wolves are bottom of the table with only two points after 10 games – eight points adrift of 17th-placed Burnley.

Oct. 31 (UPI) — Rob Jetten, leader of the Dutch centrist-liberal D66 party, is likely to become the next prime minister of the Netherlands.

The election hasn’t been declared final, but analysis shows that the second-place Party for Freedom, led by Geert Wilders, can’t win. Wilders is a far-right, anti-Muslim candidate. D66 is 15,155 votes ahead of the Freedom party with 99.7% of votes counted.

As of Thursday, the vote was essentially tied, but D66 surged ahead.

Wilders complained that news analysis has decided the result so far and not the election council. “What arrogance not to wait for that,” the BBC reported. He has also claimed election tampering, posting on X: “No idea if all of this is true but it would be good if this were investigated.”

Jetten, 38, would be the youngest prime minister in Dutch history. He said Friday that the win was a “historic result for D66,” and he’s “very proud of that,” Politico reported. “At the same time, I feel a great responsibility to quickly start exploring options this week in order to form a stable and ambitious government.”

Now, he must create a coalition in the parliament then be elected by members. He will need at least three other parties to get the 76 seats needed for a coalition, the BBC said.

According to the BBC, the most obvious parties for coalition would be the conservative-liberal VVD, the left-wing Labour (PvdA)-GreenLeft alliance and the Christian Democrats. Dilan Yesilgöz, leader of the VVD, has said his party won’t work with the left.

Jetten said he wants a broad-based government from the center of Dutch politics and a coalition that represents the voters who backed other parties, BBC reported. The biggest issues in the country now are the housing shortage and asylum and migration.

Outgoing Prime Minister Dick Schoof was hand-picked by Wilders because his coalition partners wouldn’t support a far-right prime minister. Schoof predicted that it would be tough for Jetten to form a coalition. “I reckon I’ll still be prime minister at Christmas — I’d be surprised if it happened [by then],” BBC reported.

TORONTO — As Shohei Ohtani leads a wave of international baseball popularity, major league officials are working with the players’ union and LA28 officials to conclude an agreement for major league players to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The concepts on the table include an extended Olympic break during the 2028 season, which could include an All-Star Game in San Francisco to keep baseball’s best players on the West Coast for two weeks rather than shuttling them around the country, and an Olympic baseball schedule that could start before the opening ceremony.

There is no final deal. But, for the first time over years of discussions, commissioner Rob Manfred said publicly that the owners have stopped wavering about whether to interrupt the major league season for a week so that baseball’s biggest stars can play in the Olympics.

“I am positive about it,” Manfred said Saturday at the World Series. “I think the owners have crossed the line in terms of, we’d like to do it if we can possibly make it work, but there are logistical issues that still need to be worked through.”

Manfred suggested that major leaguers participating in the Olympics might be a one-time event. Stopping the season for one week and flying players to Los Angeles, he said, would be very different than stopping the season for two weeks in 2032 and flying players to Australia.

“The chances that we’re playing in Brisbane? Difficult,” Manfred said. ‘“Way more difficult than being in L.A.”

Manfred said the World Baseball Classic would “remain our centerpiece” for international competition. With a Canadian team in the World Series, and with Ohtani as the face of the sport, ratings and merchandise sales are soaring outside the United States.

In the Olympics, Ohtani would play at Dodger Stadium.

“Shohei has just absolutely been the greatest benefit to the game you can imagine throughout the year,” Manfred said. “In the LCS, he had probably the greatest game of all time, and we are fortunate to have him here in the World Series.”