Saunders leaves Doncaster Rovers to take Wolves post

Saunders quickly emerged as the favourite for the job following Wolves’ decision to sack Stale Solbakken last night in the wake of their FA Cup third-round exit to non-league Luton.

In a statement this morning, Doncaster said they hoped to retain Saunders but would not stand in the way of the former Wales international, who opened talks with the Molineaux in the afternoon.

In the last few hours those talks have been conclusive with Saunders agreeing to become Wolves’s new manager.

Rovers chairman John Ryan says the club has a contingency plan to sufficiently handle the setback.

Clib chief executive Gavin Baldwin said in a statement: “I have just come off the phone with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ chief executive Jez Moxey, at 8.50pm Sunday evening, and can confirm that Dean Saunders has agreed to take over as manager at Molineux.

“We have agreed a good deal for Doncaster Rovers. Work has already started on trying to find a replacement for Dean and continue our push for promotion back to the Championship.

“I have spoken with Dean to thank him for the fantastic job he has done here at Doncaster and wish him well for the future.”