Row over Wes Hoolahan’s future led to Alex Neil’s sacking

Hoolahan signed a two-year contract last summer.

It’s been reported that a row over whether to sell Irish star Wes Hoolahan led to the sacking of Norwich manager Alex Neil, writes Stephen Barry.

34-year-old Hoolahan, only one year Neil’s junior, has played over 300 games and scored 48 goals in nine years at Carrow Road, and signed a two-year contract last summer.

Despite that contract extension, arriving as the club decided how best to rebuild after relegation from the Premier League, Neil has clashed with the club’s board over his desire to sell Hoolahan, according to The Sun.

They report that that row with majority shareholder Delia Smith and the board was a key factor in Neil’s dismissal, rather than a five-game winless streak which sees Norwich nine points outside the play-off places.

Neil wanted to replace Hoolahan and other Norwich players, but the board were worried about the Scot’s track record in the transfer market. A club statement cited the upcoming “crucial summer transfer window” among the reasons for the unanimous decision.

Those disagreements on the rebuild needed now mean another manager will take that responsibility, with Alan Pardew, Gary Rowett, Roy Hodgson and interim boss Alan Irvine among the early contenders.