Norwich City and West Brom have filled their vacant manager spots, leaving European Champions Chelsea as the only Premier League side without a manager.
In his Norwich press conference, Chris Hughton said that he is determined to keep top scorer Grant Holt at Carrow Road. Hughton stressed that Holt, who has handed in a transfer request, has two years left on his contract and is not for sale.
“Grant Holt is very much a player I would like to stay at this football club. That type of player is very difficult to replace. He is contracted to this club. I absolutely would like him here. I have not had the opportunity to speak with him but that will be one of the priorities” said Hughton.
“Any manager wants to keep his best players and I look forward to working with Grant.”
Hughton had seemed certain to succeed Roy Hodgson at West Bromw, but the deal fell through after Albion refused to pay Birmingham compensation for the manager’s backroom staff.
Norwich took advantage of that reticence and agreed a package of around £2million with Birmingham to take Hughton, his assistant Colin Calderwood, coach Paul Trollope and chief scout Ewan Chester to Norfolk.
With Hughton then at Norwich, that freed up Steve Clarke to be named the new manager at the Hawthorns.
It is Clarke’s first managerial role, although he does have extensive experience as a number two at Liverpool, Newcastle, West Ham and Chelsea.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be given this opportunity,” said Clarke.
“Becoming a head coach in my own right has always been an ambition of mine and I feel I have served my apprenticeship.
“I’ve done everything I could as an assistant. ‘It’s a process I’ve gone through, with a plan in mind to work as hard as I could alongside some of the best managers and coaches in the world, learning as much as possible from them, before stepping out on my own.”
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