Klug Joins Norwich as Academy Head of Coaching Tuesday, 21st Oct 2025 15:22 Veteran former Town academy director and assistant manager Bryan Klug has been appointed head of coaching at Norwich City’s academy, TWTD having revealed that the 65-year-old was set to join the Canaries’ youth set-up back in May. Klug subsequently left Playford Road in June in order to, according to a club statement at the time, “pursue other interests”. It’s understood the terms of the one-time Town youth player’s exit meant he couldn’t work for another club for a number of months. However, that period appears to be up and he is listed as head of coaching and is on the Norwich bench for this afternoon’s U17 Premier League Cup tie between the Blues and Canaries at Playford Road. Former Town U18s coach Adem Atay is also among those with the party who have travelled from Norfolk. Until his departure, Klug had been working as Town’s head of coaching and player development since 2016 having previously been in his second stint as academy director. Coventry-born Klug was a young player at Town during the Bobby Robson era and won England youth caps but moved on before making a senior appearance with injuries having hampered his progress. During this period, Klug helped the Blues bring through the likes of Richard Wright, Titus Bramble, Kieron Dyer, James Scowcroft, Richard Naylor, players who were key men in George Burley’s squad which eventually went on to win promotion in 1999/00 and then finished fifth in the Premier League the following season, with the likes of Darren Bent, Darren Ambrose, Ian Westlake, Dean Bowditch and Matt Richards following them into the first team. In 2005, the U18s won the FA Youth Cup, emulating the Town youth sides of the 1970s. A number of the players he brought through the academy paid tribute in a TWTD article following his departure. Jim Magilton made him his assistant when he took over as boss in 2006, before he took on a role as head of football development in January 2009. After being sacked by Roy Keane in January 2010, he joined Tottenham as assistant academy manager before returning to the Blues and his previous position as academy director in June 2012. In 2016, he moved to the head of coaching and player development role, one which meant he was involved more on the training field, as Lee O’Neill took over the more administrative academy director’s role. While at Town, Klug served as caretaker-manager following the departures of Jim Magilton, Mick McCarthy and Paul Hurst but had no interest in taking on the position full-time. Most of the pre-takeover Town academy staff have already moved on and Klug’s departure was not unexpected. The Canaries’ head of football development Dean Rastrick worked with Klug during his spell at Tottenham’s academy and is believed to be behind the move, rather than Norwich first-team manager Liam Manning, who played and coached under Klug in the Town academy.
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