Source: Daily_Mail
Steve McClaren sealed £2.5m-a-year Wolfsburg deal... while sailing down the Nile
Payday: McClaren has agreed a £2.5m-a-year deal[LNB]Former England coach Steve McClaren committed himself to taking over as Wolfsburg manager while sailing down the River Nile.[LNB] McClaren interrupted a family holiday with his wife Kathryn in Egypt to put his name to a two-year contract worth £2.5million a year, then continued his sightseeing trip along the world's longest river. [LNB]Sportsmail revealed at the start of last week that McClaren was Wolfsburg's top choice for their managerial vacancy, ahead of former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier, and they held a press conference in his absence to confirm they had finally got their man.[LNB] The 49-year old was hundreds of miles away at the time, but there was no mistaking general manager Dieter Hoeness' jubilation at persuading him to leave newly-crowned Dutch title winners FC Twente and take charge of a club who were domestic champions themselves under Felix Magath 12 months ago. [LNB]'I am absolutely delighted we have solved the question of our new manager and appointed someone with such clear ideas about how he wants the team to play,' he said. [LNB]'Steve is on holiday in Cairo, so we faxed the contract to him. It has been faxed back with his signature on it, and, as we speak, he is sailing down the Nile on a boat with his wife.[LNB] Hot property: McClaren will link up with striker Edin Dzeko (right) at the club[LNB] 'We are expecting him here towards the end of the month, and in the meantime, I hope he has a fantastic holiday. What came across in our discussions with him is that he is a strong personaliy with a very clear vision of what he wants. This tells me he will be good for Wolfsburg. [LNB] 'There were three candidates we looked at, and I can confirm that one of them was Gerard Houllier. Gerard told us he was pulling out of the race for family reasons, but I can tell you there is no way Steve McClaren was second choice. He fits what we are looking for in every respect, and I am very happy he is joining us.' [LNB]Ajax's ex-Hamburg coach Martin Jol was rumoured to be the other name to be considered by Wolfsburg, who have agreed to pay Twente a 'small fee' in compensation. [LNB] Familiar face: Former Newcastle forward Obafemi Martins is also in the squad[LNB]Though McClaren was once ridiculed for speaking English with a Dutch accent in an interview in Holland, Hoeness dismissed suggestions that his lack of German might present difficulties. [LNB]'Language won't be a problem,' he said. 'The good thing is, he speaks English very clearly, unlike someone like Sir Alex Ferguson, who we would all struggle to understand. No decision has been taken yet on whether he should have a German or English assistant, but I think he will find it easy enough to get his points across. [LNB]'He will be the first English coach in the Bundesliga, but that does not concern me one bit. We have appointed him because of his qualities, not his nationality.' [LNB]House-hunting may prove a challenge for McClaren. Wolfsburg is described as having little of note, other than the club's impressive new stadium and the giant Volkswagen factory, and even some VW workers choose to live in the old city of Brunswick (Braunschweig in German), just over 20 kilometres away. [LNB] Ex-England boss McClaren appointed manager of German side WolfsburgScott Parker, Adam Johnson, Jamie Carragher and Darren Bent in Fabio Capello's England squadCapello Index put on ice as England boss delays rankings until after finalsStats a poor idea, Fabio! Numbers game may backfire on England[LNB]
