Wolves become first club to be relegated from Premier League this season after West Ham United draw at Crystal Palace

Following their 3-0 defeat at Leeds United on the weekend, Wolves needed Palace to claim a victory to avoid the drop, but The Hammers held on to draw on Monday night.

There has been a sense of inevitability about Wolves' plight for some time, with Rob Edwards' appointment as Vitor Pereira's replacement in November coming after an 11-game winless start to the campaign.

Wolves have been bottom of the Premier League table since the end of August and, despite a brief resurgence which saw home victories over Aston Villa and Liverpool, as well as a fine draw against leaders Arsenal, the task of pulling off a miraculous escape has never looked likely.

In a statement released after Wolves' relegation was confirmed, the club's interim executive chairman Nathan Shi called it a "difficult moment for everyone connected to Wolves."

"While this is a deeply disappointing outcome, work has been underway since my arrival in December to ensure we are ready to respond with clarity and conviction," Shi said.

"We are clear on what needs to improve, and our focus is now on strengthening the club, building momentum and creating a team our supporters can believe in. We know what is required and will approach the months ahead with purpose.

"We know this season has tested your loyalty and patience. Your backing, home and away, has not been taken for granted.

"You deserve better and giving you a club you can genuinely be proud of is what drives everything we do from this point forward."

Wolves' relegation comes after years of struggles in the league which have been compounded by the failure to replace their best players after they have been sold.

In recent years, the club has sold Raul Jimenez, Diogo Jota, Ruben Neves, Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri for big money, and their replacements have been unable to replicate the success needed for Premier League survival.

Many of last year's signings - Emmanuel Agbadou, Nasser Djiga, Marshall Munetsi, Jhon Arias and Fer Lopez - have been moved on, whether permanently or on loan.

And their success in the transfer market this season has been equally unsuccessful, with David Moller Wolfe, Tolu Arokodare and Jackson Tchatchoua all arriving for big money but with little impact.

The most positive additions Wolves have had in recent years have been Ladislav Krejci on loan from Girona and Mateus Mane, who came from the youth team.

The club's transfer dealings have led to increased protests towards their owners, Fosun, and discontent from Pereira before his sacking in November.

Pereira came in late last season and did an excellent job in helping stave off relegation. But the build-up to this campaign was fraught with reported tension between Pereira and the Wolves hierarchy, which eventually culminated in the Portuguese losing his job.

Much of the fans' ire was directed towards then-executive chairman Jeff Shi before he left almost six weeks after Pereira was fired.

Their relegation ends their eight years in the Premier League and now Edwards has the tall task of ending the season with some positive momentum as Wolves aim for an immediate return to the top-flight through promotion from the Championship.

There have been some standout moments for Edwards to point to during his time in charge, most notably the memorable draw against Arsenal and the shock victory over Liverpool.

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