Gary O’Neil is increasingly likely to make a shock return to Wolves, with the club in advanced talks to appoint their former head coach.

Wolves have held positive discussions with O’Neil about returning to the post from which he was dismissed last December. Wolves, who visit Chelsea on Saturday, could finalise his appointment in the next 48 hours. O’Neil would replace Vitor Pereira, who was sacked after an alarming eighth defeat in 10 matches at Fulham on Saturday that left Wolves bottom of the Premier League with two points.

O’Neil was sacked amid poor results and ill-discipline problems within the squad, but despite fan anger at O’Neil before his exit the 42-year-old left on reasonable terms and Wolves believe he could galvanise the squad. If appointed, O’Neil is expected to work with a different coaching staff. During his tenure Wolves were particularly vulnerable at set pieces.

Middlesbrough’s head coach, Rob Edwards, has longstanding admirers at Wolves but is under contract at the Riverside Stadium until 2028 and trickier to obtain.

Edwards made more than 100 appearances for Wolves, where he coached at academy and first-team level. He also had a short spell in caretaker charge in 2016, shortly after...