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.
Edwards’ position at Middlesbrough, given his current employment, would provide some obstacles, with Boro believed to be entitled to a significant compensation fee.
Edwards is a former Wolves Under-23 coach and was also first-team coach, having had a two-game interim spell in charge in 2016, and distanced himself from the role.
“I was told by my daughter yesterday [Sunday], so that probably tells you where I stand on it,” he said.
“You know my links to the club but my full focus is on this job here, which is a brilliant job, and trying to turn things around from the weekend in a really big game against Leicester.
“Speculation stuff is hard for me to comment about, anything else other than Middlesbrough, which is where my focus is, that we’ve done a decent job so far.”
Wolves have a history of appointing managers with close links to high-profile agent Jorge Mendes, in Nuno Espirito Santo, Bruno Lage and Pereira.
It is understood that in addition to O’Neil, Wolves were speaking to at least one manager from Mendes’ stable.
O’Neil was sacked by Wolves in December 2024 following a disappointing start to the 2024-25 campaign, failing to win in their opening 10 games.
Edwards’ appointment, given his current employment, would provide many obstacles to overcome, with Middlesbrough believed to be entitled to a significant compensation fee should their manager leave.
That leaves O’Neil well placed to return, but sources have indicated that while he is a strong candidate he is not the only contender.
Wolves have a history of appointing managers with close links to high-profile agent Jorge Mendes, in Nuno Espirito Santo, Bruno Lage and Pereira.
And it is understood that in addition to O’Neil, Wolves are speaking to at least one manager from Mendes’ stable.
O’Neil was sacked by Wolves in December 2024 following a disappointing start to the 2024-25 campaign.
But the former West Ham midfielder is ready for a return to management and is open to re-joining Wolves, who are winless after the first 10 games of the Premier League season.
Fan unrest towards the ownership and Shi has been vocal and obvious – and those in charge recognise it is near impossible to change supporter opinion once it has turned.
Supporters snapped during the first half against Burnley, before Wolves came back from 2-0 down to go into the break level, only to concede a last-minute winner.
“You’ve sold the team, now sell the club,” came one of the chants, with more anger directed at Shi.
Fosun will not bow to pure fan pressure, but they would also be wrong not to listen.
They have never pulled up the financial drawbridge completely, though, despite Shi saying six years ago it was important not to be completely reliant on Fosun.
Reducing the spending and wage bill was a conscious plan, having spent big previously with varying degrees of success.
Matheus Nunes arrived from Sporting for £38m, although he flattered to deceive before a £53m move to Manchester City two years ago, while Brazil forward Matheus Cunha’s £43m transfer from Atletico Madrid remains a club record.
Yet there is now a more conservative transfer plan, Jorgen Strand Larsen’s £23m move from Celta Vigo after last season’s successful loan spell, and the £26m committed for versatile midfielder Ladislav Krecji the highest numbers in the summer.
Wages have also dropped, Nelson Semedo, Raul Jimenez and Joao Moutinho were all on over £100,000-a-week, while the club was burned with Pablo Sarabia arriving under Julen Lopetegui in 2023 as one of their highest earners but unable to command a regular place before he left in June.
Wolves have previously overpaid and Fosun want a sustainable model. There may be a direct correlation between wage budget and league position, but the hard work is then finding better players for better prices.
They will spend again in January, although not drastically, and the evolution of the squad is seen as a new cycle after a lavish outlay.
Part of that new phase came in June when Matt Hobbs left as sporting director and was replaced by Domenico Teti, someone who worked with Pereira at Al-Shabab in Saudi Arabia.
It disrupted the summer a little, but Wolves feel they have their executive level right.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The Trump administration is telling Colorado to stop importing gray wolves from Canada as part of the state’s efforts to restore the predators, a shift that could hinder plans for more reintroductions this winter.
The state has been releasing wolves west of the Continental Divide since 2023 after Colorado voters narrowly approved wolf reintroduction in 2020. About 30 wolves now roam mountainous regions of the state, and its management plan envisions potentially 200 or more wolves in the long term.
The program has been unpopular in rural areas, where some wolves have attacked livestock. Now, after two winters of releases during the Biden administration, wolf opponents appear to have found support from federal officials under President Trump.
Colorado wolves must come from Northern Rockies states, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik told Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis in a recent letter.
Colorado must “immediately cease and desist any and all efforts related to the capture, transport and/or release of gray wolves not obtained” from northern Rocky Mountain states, Nesvik wrote.
Most of those states — including the Yellowstone region states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, where wolves from Canada were reintroduced in the 1990s — have said they don’t want to be part of Colorado’s reintroduction.
That could leave Colorado in a bind this winter. The state plans to relocate 10 to 15 wolves under an agreement with the British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship in Canada, a statement by Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Luke Perkins said Friday.
The agreement was signed before the state got the Oct. 10 letter from Nesvik, according to Perkins. He said the state “continues to evaluate all options to support this year’s gray wolf releases” after getting “recent guidance” from the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Though some of Colorado’s reintroduced wolves have come from Oregon, wolves released most recently have come from British Columbia.
The issue now is whether the federal agency required that wolves must only come from northern U.S. Rocky Mountain states when it designated Colorado’s “experimental” population of reintroduced wolves.
A federal notice announcing the designation in 2023 referred to the northern Rockies region as merely the “preferred” source of wolves, not the required one.
Defenders of Wildlife attorney Lisa Saltzburg said in a statement that the Fish and Wildlife Service was “twisting language” by saying wolves can’t come from Canada or Alaska.
People in Colorado “should be proud of their state’s leadership in conservation and coexistence, and the wolf reintroduction program illustrates those values,” Saltzburg said.
The Colorado governor’s office and Colorado Parks and Wildlife are in touch with the U.S. Interior Department about the letter and evaluating “all options” to allow wolf releases this year, Gov. Jared Polis spokesperson Shelby Wieman said by email.
Fish and Wildlife Service spokesperson Garrett Peterson, whose voicemail said he wouldn’t be available until after the government shutdown ends, didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.
Given the turbulence at the club over the last decade, Sunderland fans could be forgiven for feeling apprehensive on their return to the Premier League.
Their route back to the top division has been a long one, with the Black Cats experiencing back-to-back relegations and spending four years in League One.
Even last season’s promotion was dramatic.
Having finished 16th the season before, Sunderland upset the odds to beat Sheffield United in the play-off final with a last-gasp winner in injury time at Wembley.
But there has been more than good fortune to Sunderland’s revival.
There were fears after the Black Cats made 14 first-team signings this summer that Le Bris’ side could lose the togetherness that helped them earn promotion.
But the Black Cats have more than maintained the momentum so far this season.
With 14 points from eight matches, Sunderland have matched their best start to a Premier League campaign.
Not that manager Le Bris is taking anything for granted.
“For me it’s just a question of the next game,” he told BBC Sport.
“It’s a long journey and a tough journey. If we can win points early, it’s good for the confidence.”
The Black Cats’ fine start has been built on their home form, with 10 of their 14 points coming at the Stadium of Light – only leaders Arsenal have as many.
Perhaps the most impressive element of Sunderland’s form is that they have bucked the trend of promoted sides in recent times.
Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich – who were all relegated last season having earned promotion the season before – managed just 14 points between them after eight matches last season. Sunderland have already matched that total on their own.
In fact, Sunderland’s points tally is the best from a promoted since since Wolves in the 2018-19 campaign.
If 40 points is the benchmark for survival, then Sunderland are already well on their way to safety.
Graham Greene, the Oscar-nominated actor who helped open doors for Indigenous actors in Hollywood, died on Monday in Toronto after battling a long illness, Deadline and others report. The Canadian actor was 73.
Born in Ohsweken, on the Six Nations Reserve, Greene saw his Hollywood profile catapult after Kevin Costner cast him as Kicking Bird (Ziŋtká Nagwáka) in 1990’s “Dances With Wolves,” which won the Academy Award for best picture and earned Greene an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.
During his screen career, which began with the 1979 Canadian drama series “The Great Detective,” Greene was cast in more than 180 films and TV shows. His first movie role was in 1983’s “Running Brave.”
He went on to star in several other high-profile films including “Maverick,” “The Green Mile,” “Die Hard With a Vengeance” and “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2.” The actor also appeared in “Tulsa King,” “Riverdale” and as Maximus in the final season of the Emmy-nominated show “Reservation Dogs,” which was among his final roles.
Graham Greene, right, and Kevin Costner in “Dances With Wolves.”
(Courtesy of Orion Pictures Corp.)
At the time of his death, he had eight upcoming projects, including the Stefan Ruzowitzky-directed thriller “Ice Fall,” which he had completed filming with Joel Kinnaman and Danny Huston. It’s scheduled to be released in October.
“He was a great man of morals, ethics and character and will be eternally missed,” Greene’s agent Michael Greene (no relation) said in a statement released to several outlets, including Deadline and TMZ. “You are finally free. Susan Smith is meeting you at the gates of heaven,” he added, referring to the actor’s former agent, who died in 2013.
Graham Greene and Molly Kunz in a scene from the 2021 drama “The Wolf and the Lion.”
(Emmanuel Guionet / Courtesy of Blue Fox Entertainment)
Outside of his acting career, Greene won a Grammy in 2000 for best spoken word album for children for his work on “Listen to the Storyteller.” He is also a Gemini and Canadian Screen Award winner and an Independent Spirit nominee. In 2021, he was immortalized with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, and earlier this year, he received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in his native country.
Graham Greene in 2022 at the unveiling of his commemorative plaque for Arts & Entertainment on Canada’s Walk of Fame at Beanfield Centre in Toronto.
(Mathew Tsang / Getty Images)
In 1991, Greene told The Times that “Dances With Wolves” “was certainly the biggest film I’ve done. It’s made definite changes in my life — I’m more popular with the media, scripts are being offered to me from people I’ve never heard of. On the other hand, I’m being inundated. It’s good in a way. I shouldn’t complain.”
Greene is survived by his wife of 35 years, Hilary Blackmore; daughter Lilly Lazare-Greene; and grandson Tarlo.
Belgium-born Tchatchoua started his career at Belgian club Charleroi before spending a year on loan at Hellas before joining them permanently in 2024.
Last season he scored twice and registered three assists in 37 games for Hellas.
He is Wolves’ fifth signing of the window as they secured the permanent transfer of forward Jorgen Strand Larsen for £23m after a successful loan spell, plus forward Fer Lopez for £19m, winger Jhon Arias for £15m and defender David Moller Wolfe for £10m.
Match of the Day pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney discuss Tijjani Reijnders’ ‘perfect midfield performance’ on his Premier League debut in Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Wolves and explain why he will make a difference in Pep Guardiola’s side this season.
Boss Guardiola has maintained last season’s disappointment was down to the number of injuries his side suffered, particularly losing Ballon d’Or winner Rodri to a serious knee injury for most of the campaign.
The Spaniard’s absence left a gaping hole and the centre of the park lacked real energy, with Nico Gonzalez signed for £50m from Porto in January and Reijnders added from AC Milan for £42.5m in the summer.
The Dutchman showed glimpses of his capabilities at the Club World Cup but gave fans in England a real taste of what to expect in the Premier League.
Reijnders said: “I saw the intensity and it is pretty hard, but it is nice to play in the Premier League and to score on my debut is always nice.
“I’m always trying to find space in the box and work to give assists. My type of game is to be a box-to-box player and help the team with goals and assists.”
Reijnders’ footwork and chipped pass for the opening goal was sublime, while there was nothing Jose Sa could do for his first-half goal which was clipped across goal and into the bottom corner.
There were also early signs of an understanding building up with star striker Erling Haaland as his disguised pass allowed the Norwegian to net his second goal.
As well as his goal contributions, Reijnders’ dominant performance is highlighted by the fact he had 82 touches of the ball and completed 52 of his 57 passes.
Reijnders also completed 22 passes in the final third – the second most in the City team behind Gonzalez (24).
With neither Rodri nor Phil Foden available as they return to full fitness, City’s midfield will be a force to be reckoned with once the duo make a comeback.
“Tijjani Reijnders is the star man for me,” former England full-back Chris Powell said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“You will see a new-look Man City midfield and you still have Phil Foden and Rodri to come back – they have laid a small marker down.
“For City, it was a disappointing season for them last year, so they have got a lot to play for this year.”
Responding to a limp defeat at lowly Castleford Tigers last time out, Warrington showed aggression and energy from the get-go, pinning their hosts deep inside their own territory for much of the opening quarter.
Yet despite their dominant play, steadfast Leigh defence limited them to just two points – Sneyd chipping over a penalty for Joe Ofahengaue’s high tackle on Sam Powell, who had been held up on the line moments earlier.
And having barely set an attacking boot in Wire territory, Leigh were soon level through O’Brien’s penalty for late contact by Wire debutant Ryan Matterson.
Yet order was restored in the 32nd minute when Josh Thewlis, inside his own half on the right wing, cut back into the centre with a breathless run, slaloming through challenges before sending Dufty in under the posts.
If there was hope for a below-par Leigh, and concern for Wire, it was that just one score separated the sides going into the second half.
Sneyd slotted a second penalty before George Williams’ superb kick down the left wing bounced kindly for Jake Thewlis to collect and cross for his eighth Super League try of the season.
Leading 14-2 with 15 minutes left, Dufty had a second score – and a potential decider – overturned by the video referee following a Lachlan Fitzgibbon obstruction.
And two minutes later, and having barely troubled the Warrington line, Leigh were back in it when Hanley stretched out to touch down O’Brien’s deflected grubber kick.
O’Brien’s conversion brought the Leopards back within six points, but Sneyd’s dead-eye penalty from long distance again took the visitors two scores clear.
But once again after a Warrington score was ruled out after a video review – this time from Toby King – Hanley powered through for a second try and O’Brien’s conversion cut the gap to 16-14.
Wire were suddenly hanging on and buckled moments later as Trout capped his 100th Super League appearance with the winning score from close range.
Arias is older than most South American players who cross the Atlantic Ocean to try their luck in Europe.
Nonetheless, Wolves’ new signing has been the creative force for Fluminense for several years and is affectionately known as ‘the Colombian Pele’ by the club’s supporters.
During the Club World Cup, former Brazil playmaker Kaka described the stocky Arias as “an extremely dangerous player who can decide a match at any moment”.
Arias showcased his trickery and relentless running in that competition, creating an unrivalled 18 chances in six games.
He won the man-of-the-match award three times and earned a place in the team of the tournament.
Arias switched position to play up front for the latter half of Fluminense’s run to the semi-finals but still led the side overall for most touches per 90 minutes (68).
He was involved in 40 open-play moves that led to a shot, double that of any team-mate.
Arias also won possession more than any other Fluminense player.
He scored 47 goals in 229 games and his tally of 55 assists is the second highest of any Fluminense player this century.
WOLVES face a potential fight to keep hold of boss Vitor Pereira – with Portuguese giants Benfica eyeing a move for the Molineux boss to replace one of his predecessors.
Benfica are currently in the USA for the Club World Cup, amid rumours over the long-term future of manager Bruno Lage.
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Vitor Pereira has impressed with the dogmatic work he has done at Wolves in the Premier League
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Pereira managed one of Benfica’s biggest rivals in Porto from the youth teams to the senior set-up in the early 2010s
And if the Lisbon Eagles flop in the States, club President – and former Portugal midfielder – Rui Costa is ready to test Wolves’ resolve to keep Pereira after his impressive first six months at the club.
Pereira has seen the club sell both full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri and playmaker Matheus Cunha this summer, with the two Manchester Clubs paying £94.7m between them for the duo.
That came after he had stabilised the club following his arrival in place of Gary O’Neil in December.
Beer-loving Pereira, 59, steered Wolves away from the drop zone to win 10 of his 22 games in charge including a seven-match winning run in March and April that secured their Premier League status.
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But the prospect of a return to his homeland – with Benfica facing two Champions League qualifying rounds in August – could tempt the former Porto and Olympiacos chief.
Pereira has not coached in Portugal since quitting Porto for Saudi side Al Ahli after leading them to the title in 2013.
His stock is high with claims that Rui Costa is not happy with Lage – despite official insistence that the coach will start next season at the Stadium of Light irrespective of what happens at the Club World Cup.
Benfica face Argentines Boca Juniors, Kiwi minnows Auckland City and Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich in the group stage, with Lage under scrutiny.
Lage, 49, and now in his second spell at Benfica, spent 15 months at the Molineux helm after replacing Nuno Espirito Santos in June 2021.
While they finished 10th in his first season – having been in the top six after 13 games – Wolves scored just 38 goals in the Prem campaign, with just two points from their final seven matches.
He was sacked in October 2022 after picking up a solitary win from the club’s first nine games before landing a job at Brazilian side Botofogo the following summer.
Lage then became embroiled in a legal spat with Botofogo owner John Textor, whose stake in Crystal Palace has threatened their chances of taking up their place in the Europa League.
Earlier this year, Lage – who returned to Benfica in September – launched a £6m suit claiming he had been promised in a “gentleman’s agreement” that he would be offered the Palace job that was given to Oliver Glasner.
Man Utd sign Brazilian international forward on five-year deal as coach Ruben Amorim makes first big move.
Manchester United have completed the signing of Brazil international Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers as the fallen Premier League giants begin their rebuild
The 26-year-old forward, who has scored once in 15 appearances for Brazil, signed a five-year contract to 2030 at Old Trafford with the option of a further 12 months, the club said on Thursday.
United paid a reported 62.5 million pounds ($84m) to their fellow English top-flight club for Cunha.
United coach Ruben Amorim is expected to overhaul his squad after a woeful season, and Cunha’s is the first major transfer for the Portuguese since he replaced Erik ten Hag in November.
Cunha scored 17 goals for Wolves last season while the United attack had the fifth worst scoring record in the Premier League last term.
“Ever since I was a child in Brazil watching Premier League games on TV at my grandmother’s house, United was my favourite English team, and I dreamed of wearing the red shirt,” Cunha said.
“All my focus is now on working hard to become a valuable part of the team and helping get this club back to the top.”
Brazilian national team players Matheus Cunha, left, and Vinicius Junior, right, train before their June 5, 2025, World Cup qualifier against Ecuador [Sebastiao Moreira/EPA]
United were 15th in the league standings, their worst position since the Premier League era began in 1992. It also had its most losses in a Premier League season and recorded its lowest points total.
The joint record 20-time English champions have gone 12 years without the title since last winning it in former manager Alex Ferguson’s final season in 2013.
“Bringing in Matheus was one of our main priorities for this summer, so we are delighted to have completed his signing so early in the window,” said Jason Wilcox, United director of football.
“He has proved his ability to succeed in the Premier League as one of the most exciting and productive forwards in England during his time at Wolves and before that in Spain and Germany.
“He has all the qualities we are looking for as we seek to build a strong, dynamic and entertaining team capable of challenging for the biggest honours.”
As well as Cunha, United are also interested in Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo.
The clubs are believed to be in negotiations over a fee for the Cameroonian international.
Manchester United have agreed a deal with Wolves for the signing of Brazil striker Matheus Cunha.
The 26-year-old is set to become United’s first signing of the summer after the club activated a £62.5m release clause in Cunha’s Wolves contract.
The former Atletico Madrid forward will sign a five-year deal at Old Trafford, with the option of a further 12 months.
Cunha was in Manchester over the weekend to complete a medical with the club.
The deal, which is subject to visa approval and registration procedures, is expected to be completed once Cunha returns from international duty with Brazil later this month.
The forward has scored 31 goals in 76 appearances since completing a permanent move to Wolves in 2023.
SIERRA VALLEY, Calif. — Standing among his cattle in a broad green pasture, beneath a brilliant blue sky about an hour north of Lake Tahoe, rancher Dan Greenwood surveyed the idyllic landscape and called it what he feels it has become: a death trap.
Behind him, a 3-month-old calf that had been mauled by wolves the night before lay in the grass with deep wounds on its flanks. Two of its legs were so badly injured they could barely support the calf’s weight when it tried to stand. The animal’s agitated mother paced a few feet away.
Greenwood wrapped his hand around one of the calf’s ankles and gently rolled it onto its back to inspect the savage bite wounds.
The first wild wolf monitored by scientists via an electronic collar crossed from Oregon into California in 2011. Today, there are seven established packs in the Golden State.
(Malia Byrtus / California Wolf Project/UC Berkeley)
He was trying to decide whether to give the calf another day to see if it could recover enough to keep up with its mother — or put it out of its misery before the wolves returned to finish the job.
“If I can just walk up and grab him, then so can the wolf,” Greenwood said with a pained look on his face. “That’s not a challenge for them at all.”
What is a challenge in the rugged expanse of the Sierra Valley right now is keeping up with all the calls coming in from ranchers whose cattle have been mauled by wolves. Across the valley, which straddles Sierra and Plumas counties, there have been 30 confirmed wolf attacks since March, 18 of them fatal, said Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher.
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That doesn’t include a deer that was attacked in a subdivision just outside the small town of Loyalton as stunned residents looked on in disbelief, or the massive, frenzied elk that was chased onto a front porch in the middle of an April night and slaughtered by two wolves. A terrified 21-year-old stood on the other side of the front door, clutching a pistol and wondering if someone was trying to break in.
Once the “ruckus” died down enough for him to open the door and peek outside, Connor Kilmurray said, he saw “blood everywhere, it was smeared on the walls and the door. … It was definitely a massacre.”
When Fisher arrived to investigate, he was relieved that the desperate elk, which weighed hundreds of pounds, hadn’t crashed straight through the front door and into the living room with two snarling wolves on its heels.
Sierra County Sheriff Mike Fisher shows where wolves slaughtered an elk late at night on the front steps of a home in Loyalton.
“If it had just been a foot over, two feet over, that would have been quite an awakening,” Fisher said.
For ranchers, the solution to the growing problem in California’s rural northern counties seems obvious: They want to shoot the wolves preying on their cattle.
But while wolf populations are large enough that hunting them is allowed in much of the American West — in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming — they are still listed as an endangered species in California. Killing a wolf here is a crime punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 and up to a year in prison.
Local authorities say there have been 30 confirmed wolf attacks on cattle in the Sierra Valley since March, 18 of them fatal.
Whether Sierra Valley ranchers would face such consequences is another question. The wolf attacks feel so out of control, said Sierra County Dist. Atty. Sandra Groven, that she would not pursue charges against a rancher who kills a wolf caught preying on cattle.
Groven cautioned that she was not giving carte blanche to poachers to engage in “outrageous conduct,” or issuing a license for anyone to “go on a killing spree.” But given the frequency of wolf attacks in the valley recently, she said, she doesn’t see how she could bring charges against one of her neighbors for defending themselves or their property.
“Bottom line, I would not prosecute,” Groven said. “What are they supposed to do? Run up and wave their arms and say, ‘Go away’?”
The struggle between ranchers and wolves is as old as herding itself, and nobody interviewed for this article wanted to repeat the sins of the past: By the early 20th century, wolves in the United States had been hunted to near extinction. Only a small pack remained in northern Minnesota when then-President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act in 1973 and wolves were added to a list of protected animals.
With their numbers still low two decades later, government biologists reintroduced wolves from Canada to central Idaho and Yellowstone National Park. In the years since, they have prospered and slowly migrated across the West.
“We feel like our hands are tied,” rancher Dan Greenwood says of his efforts to protect his cattle from wolves. “We’re exhausted, and there’s zero help.”
(Andy Barron / For The Times)
The first wild wolf monitored by scientists via an electronic collar crossed from Oregon into California in 2011. Today, there are seven established packs in the Golden State, with an estimated population of about 70 wild wolves.
State wildlife biologists and other conservationists excited at the prospect of a wolf comeback assumed the predators would target their natural prey, mostly deer and elk. But decades of logging and climate change have vastly altered the forests and terrain in much of Northern California, leaving deer and elk in short supply. Instead, many of the wolves have taken to hunting the lumbering, docile, domesticated cattle grazing in plain sight on wide-open pastures.
When that happens, ranchers say, it’s like someone coming into your store and stealing from the shelves. Nobody pretends cattle are pets — they’re bred and raised to be slaughtered. But no business can survive for long without some way to protect the merchandise.
To defend the livestock, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife promotes non-lethal “hazing” of the predators, which can include firing guns toward the sky, driving trucks and ATVs toward wolves to try to shoo them away and harassing them with noise from drones. But according to local ranchers, none of that seems to work, at least not for long.
And that has led to near rebellion in California’s northeastern counties, including Sierra, where local authorities have declared a state of emergency and are begging state officials for permission to more aggressively “remove” problem wolves.
The reason hazing doesn’t seem to work, according to ranchers, is that the wolves appear to have no fear of humans. And the cattle, which have gone generations without having to deal with these apex predators, seem to have forgotten how to defend themselves by sticking together in herds.
Turning such naive, docile cattle loose in sprawling pastures is a little like turning “me loose in downtown L.A.,” said Cameron Krebs, a fifth-generation rancher in eastern Oregon who has been dealing with aggressive wolves for years. “I might get hurt, might run into the wrong person, might get run over by a car, just because I don’t have the sense to look both ways,” he said with a laugh.
Krebs has become something of a hero in environmental circles for his dedication to finding non-lethal ways to co-exist with wolves, which boil down to making sure the animals in his herd stick together — the way wild buffalo and elk do — so it’s harder for wolves to single out and separate one of them.
But that takes a lot of time and manpower, and there are inevitably wolves that outwit even the most well-intentioned efforts. “At that point, you need to be able to shoot them,” Krebs said. “It’s just one of the tools in the toolbox.”
UC Davis researchers Tina Saitone, left, and Ken Tate mount a camera to capture wolf activity.
A camera attached to a fence port monitors wolf activity.
Back in the Sierra Valley, Greenwood said he saw his first wolf in 2018, from his living room window, standing over a calf it had just killed. “It was just taunting me,” Greenwood said in disbelief.
But things didn’t get really bad until 2022, when he lost nearly two dozen animals to the increasingly brazen wolves. Since then, he said, he has been fighting an exhausting, losing battle.
“I felt really, really bad as we were shipping cows in here in May,” Greenwood said, standing in an immense pasture on a portion of his ranch in nearby Red Clover Valley. “It’s beautiful up here; there’s plenty of grass growing. Everything’s right for them, except there’s wolves circling in the hills just waiting for those trucks to get here.”
He’s versed in the non-lethal techniques promoted by environmental advocates and embraced by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, but his shoulders slumped and his eyes searched the horizon as he explained how impractical they seem to him now.
“Profit margins are so, so thin,” he said, noting that some people seem to think all ranchers are as rich as Kevin Costner’s character on “Yellowstone.” But his reality is nothing like TV.
“It’s just me and another guy running 1,200 acres of irrigated hay and 600 cows,” Greenwood said. “I could maybe get all of these cows into a corral at night if I had six guys on horses helping me,” but there’s no money for that.
“We feel like our hands are tied. We’re exhausted, and there’s zero help,” Greenwood said.
UC Davis researcher Ken Tate points to wolf fur caught on a barbed-wire fence.
In 2021, the state set up a $3-million pilot project to reimburse ranchers for cattle lost to wolves and help pay for non-lethal deterrents, such as flags tied to electrified fences and lights affixed to fence posts.
But Greenwood said by the time he finished filling out all the paperwork for the cattle he lost in 2022, the state money had run out. “I still haven’t seen a dime,” he said.
Arthur Middleton, a professor of wildlife management working with UC Berkeley’s California Wolf Project, said he’s been taken aback by how bold the wolves are becoming in the Sierra Valley.
In April, while a TV news crew from Sacramento was filming an interview with the sheriff in a cattle pasture, two gray wolves appeared in the background stalking the livestock, Middleton recounted. The sight of them so close to the road in broad daylight, with a noisy news crew filming nearby, was like nothing he has witnessed in many years of working on wolf recovery.
“That just goes to show what an incredible challenge ranchers and wildlife managers have on their hands,” Middleton said.
For many Sierra Valley residents, the question is no longer whether problem wolves are going to be forcefully removed, it’s who is going to do it. Pissed-off ranchers? Or environmental professionals working with an eye to eliminate the most prolific cattle killers while preserving the rest of the pack?
There’s a joke circulating in the valley this spring: “Shoot, shovel and shut up,” Groven said. She added that she doesn’t think any of the ranchers have followed through on the implied threat, but said it would be hard to blame them if they did.
Fisher, the sheriff, said he would like the authority to shoot a wolf he believes poses a risk to human safety — like the pair that chased the elk onto someone’s front porch. But he thinks the Department of Fish and Wildlife should be responsible for “removing” wolves that habitually attack cattle.
“They’re very patient,” rancher Dan Greenwood says of using non-lethal methods to scare off wolves. “They just outlast you.”
Greenwood said he’s not advocating for the elimination of the wolves. He just wants to be able to protect his livestock.
He saw the wolves moving among his cattle the night the 3-month-old calf was mauled and another one was killed. Following the law, he kept his hands off his gun and revved up his ATV, chasing the predators more than a mile away, hoping that was far enough to keep the cattle safe.
It wasn’t. “They’re very patient,” Greenwood said. “They just outlast you.”
The 3-month-old calf? It died of its wounds before the wolves could return.
While Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham are all planning for next season’s Champions League, United are unable to offer new recruits any European football – let alone a place in Europe’s premier club competition.
Indeed, it is now more than three years since United last played a Champions League knockout tie.
Despite a lowly league finish and absence of European football next season, BBC Sport understands Cunha still views United as a big club – and that the player does not look at it as a risk.
Instead Cunha, who turned 26 on Tuesday and is in peak form, is excited by the enormous challenge of reviving United’s fortunes.
There is a feeling the move makes sense for all parties.
Cunha wants to move to a so-called bigger club, while Wolves get more than £60m to reinvest.
Meanwhile, Wolves have already showed they can win matches without Cunha after securing 10 points from the four Premier League games he missed through suspension following a red card against Bournemouth in the FA Cup in March.
United, who are set to allow England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho to leave this summer, need to boost the options available to boss Ruben Amorim.
His side managed just 44 top-flight goals in 2024-25 – a club-record low in the Premier League era. Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap, external and Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo have also been linked.
Cunha has 27 goals in 65 Premier League appearances over the past two seasons and is regarded at United as someone who can make an instant impact, while at the same time add experience to the team.
“United are lucky they still have their historic appeal and reputation as a club, so players of the Brazilian’s quality and potential want to move there,” former England midfielder Fara Williams told BBC Sport.
“If he does, there is no doubt he improves the squad.”
