Norwich City have denied reports that they have agreed compensation with Aston Villa after their Premier League rivals announced the appointment of Paul Lambert as their new manager.
Villa confirmed Lambert’s appointment earlier today, replacing Alex McLeish, who was sacked the day after the final game of the season. Lambert had tendered his resignation as Norwich City manager on Thursday amid reports that Villa had made an official approach for his services.
His resignation was not accepted but despite reports that an agreement had been reached for the Scot to make the switch to the West Midlands, Norwich denied that this was the case.
“Some media reports are suggesting we have agreed compensation for Paul’s services with Aston Villa, however this is not the case,” a statement on the Norwich website said. “We will continue to discuss this matter privately with Aston Villa.”
Earlier today, news of Lambert’s appointment emerged with a brief statement on Villa’s website: “The board of Aston Villa are delighted to confirm that Paul Lambert has been appointed Villa manager.”
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It is thought Lambert has signed a three-year deal after being promised a transfer budget by Randy Lerner, the Villa owner, despite the club’s £54 million losses in the 2010/11 season.
There has been no comment so far on whether any of Lambert’s backroom staff at Norwich - notably his assistant, Ian Culverhouse - will be joining him at Villa Park.
After three successive top-six finishes under Martin O’Neill, Villa lost their way, appointing first Gerard Houllier, who had to stand down last summer on health grounds, and then - controversially - former Birmingham manager Alex McLeish.
With the added pressure of trying to win over the Aston Villa fans, and limited room to operate in the transfer market, McLeish lasted only a season, Villa finishing the 2011/12 campaign just two places - and two points - above the relegation zone.
One of the first tasks for Lambert, who won the Champions League as a player with Borussia Dortmund in 1997, is to reinforce the attack following the release of former England striker Emile Heskey.
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He may look no further than his former club, where Grant Holt, 31, Norwich’s top scorer last season with 15 Premier League goals, has formally requested a transfer - which was rejected - after the club refused him a new three-year contract.
Alleging that negotiations over a new deal have broken down due to Holt’s age, the player’s representative, Lee Payne, revealed details of a discussion with chief executive David McNally: “David bluntly turned around and said ‘you’re too old so forget a third year’.
“He [Holt] has got two years left on his contract and all he really wanted - before he even spoke about money - was a third year.
“He wanted to finish his career at Norwich, but being told ‘you’re too old’, I just think it was the wrong thing to do.”
There has been no comment so far from Norwich, who were initially believed to be holding out for compensation approaching £1 million for the manager whom they lured from Colchester United in 2009, shortly after he masterminded a 7-1 victory over them in a League One fixture.
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Norwich were forced to pay their East Anglian neighbours £425,000, on top of a £200,000 fine, for an illegal approach.
Although Norwich had been looking for compensation amounting to about a year’s salary for Lambert, there were doubts about whether they were entitled to anything after he resigned.
Norwich’s statement today reiterated their gratitude to Lambert to taking them to the Premier League and wished him all the best.
It continued: “Meanwhile the search for the next Norwich City manager is already actively under way and the club has been inundated with applications for and interest in the job of leading this great club forward in the Barclays Premier League.
“The next Norwich City manager will have a great squad of players, a robust and competitive budget and excellent facilities to work with - as well as the superb backing home and away of our fantastic supporters.”
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Lambert, 42, has performed wonders at Carrow Road, leading Norwich to two successive promotions before securing a twelfth-placed finish in their first season back in the Premier League.
Malky Mackay, the Cardiff City manager, and former Norwich player Steve Bruce, sacked by Sunderland in November, are thought to be among the front-runners for the Carrow Road job, along with Celtic’s Neil Lennon.