Town have confirmed Bryan Klug’s return to the club as academy director, as we reported yesterday. In February, TWTD was first to reveal that the Blues were trying to bring the 51-year-old back to Playford Road.
Klug, who has been working as assistant director and head of player development at Tottenham’s academy since leaving Town in 2010, says he is delighted to be returning to where he has spent most of his footballing life: "Everyone knows that Ipswich Town has been a big part of my life.
"I have played for the club, coached here at academy and first-team level and even had a few days as manager!
"It’s been my football club for 30 years of my career and I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to return here and take on the challenge that running an academy in today’s game presents.”
Chief executive Simon Clegg added: "I’m delighted to welcome Bryan back to the club. His record of developing young players is respected throughout the game and when it became clear that we would be looking for a new head of our academy with Sammy Morgan stepping down, Bryan was the obvious candidate.
"Developing our own players continues to be vital to this football club and this in part was my thinking behind this new appointment title.
"The changes that are taking place in the game at academy level present a big challenge for all clubs, but we feel confident that in Bryan we have a man with a wealth of knowledge to drive our youth development programme forward for many years to come.”
Town first approached Klug in February with the Coventry-born coach initially reluctant to go back to the job he vacated in 2006 to become Jim Magilton’s assistant manager.
Klug was Magilton’s second in command until John Gorman’s appointment in 2008, when he moved into a head of football development role and was taking charge of the reserves when he was controversially axed by former boss Roy Keane in January 2010.
Klug, who has remained living in Suffolk while at Spurs, was a youth player with the Blues between 1977 and 1983 but failed to make a senior appearance, moving on to Wimbledon (loan), Chesterfield and Peterborough United and then into non-league football.
He returned to Portman Road in 1987, joining the coaching staff, and in 1998 became the director of the newly formed academy in an era during which Kieron Dyer, Richard Wright, James Scowcroft, Titus Bramble and others emerged.
In 2005 Klug, who has also had spells as caretaker-manager of the Blues, led the academy to the club’s third FA Youth Cup before becoming Magilton’s assistant a year later, shortly after Newcastle United had approached him to run their academy.
Meanwhile, Blues academy graduate Jordan Rhodes, now with Huddersfield, and ex-loanee keeper Alex McCarthy from Reading are reported to be in the 35-man GB squad for the Olympics.
Elsewhere, reports in South Yorkshire claim Town won't be pursuing Sheffield United midfielder Stephen Quinn, the brother of former Blue Alan, despite online rumours to the contrary circulating in recent weeks, particularly amongst Blades fans. Middlesbrough and Blackpool are said to be interested in the 26-year-old Irishman.