Clarke's wish is granted

LONDON // West Ham finally got their man after agreeing a deal to take the coach Steve Clarke from Chelsea. Three days after the former Scotland international stunned the Stamford Bridge hierarchy by handing in his resignation ahead of an expected move to join Gianfranco Zola's Upton Park revolution, Clarke got his wish. Chelsea were reported to have demanded up to £5million (Dh38m) in compensation for the loss of their assistant first-team coach, but a deal was reached yesterday evening for what is believed to be a far lesser sum.

The West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury said: "Steve is rightly regarded as one of the top coaches in Europe and his experience and knowledge will be a huge asset to us. "He recognises what we are trying to achieve at West Ham United and wants to be a part of that. "We have worked very hard to bring him on board and are confident we now have the perfect coaching team." Clarke spent 11 years as a player at Stamford Bridge from 1987 and returned to the club as a youth team coach following a short spell as Newcastle's assistant manager.

* PA Sport