Why Lee Grant’s research pointed to Huddersfield Town as the place to start his managerial career

Lee Grant has revealed the “due diligence” before he was given the job of Huddersfield Town manager was a two-way street, and he will be sure to continue tapping into the network of contacts who encouraged him to take the job.

Portsmouth were relegated from the Premier League in 2010 after a spate of bouncing cheques, although Sunderland remained there until 2017.

Given how things turned out, the Black Cats can be forgiven for feeling relieved that they missed out on this specific new acquisition in the summer of 2007.

Grant told The Yorkshire Post that he did a lot of investigation before accepting the job offer on Wednesday.

I’m fortunate to have a large network of players, coaches, other managers, and sporting directors, and I spoke with at least one or two in each position because this is a huge decision for me and one that I don’t take lightly.

“But everyone agreed that this is a large and fantastic football club.

“Then it was attempting to understand the people in the football club.

“It led me to a place where I’m sat here now.” The first thing that struck me was Kevin’s (Nagle, Huddersfield’s chairman) energy, passion, and excitement for the football club. That jumped out to me and spoke volumes about my own drive and intensity for how I want to work and what I want to bring to the football club.

“Very quickly upon meeting Kevin I was excited by what I heard and really looking forward to attacking the project with the same vigour he does.”

After a clearout of players following a League One season in which Nagle expected them to return to the Championship but instead finished in tenth place, Grant sees a blank canvas on the field and strong foundations off it.

“Of course committed ownership was really important for me,” Grant told me. “In terms of infrastructure, the football club is in a very strong position with a solid basis.

“We’re sitting in a fantastic venue where we can play and watch football.

“I’ve seen the work that has been done on the training ground over the last year or so, and it has been good work.

“That passion, hunger, and enthusiasm Kevin has demonstrated since joining the football club was evident early on and was one of the most essential considerations in my decision-making process.

“I was doing a really fantastic job under one of Europe’s best managers, and I wasn’t going to quit that job lightly.

“But with Kieran (McKenna, Ipswich manager)’s blessing and with everything on offer here in terms of the team that’s been put together and what we’re hoping to put together over the next few weeks and months, it’s a really exciting opportunity.

“What I propose is to build on that solid infrastructure work by identifying really good individuals behind the scenes and building good practice and process.

“We’re trying to do that in a way that will look and feel a bit different to what’s gone before.”

Grant is keen to be his own man in the post, but he will continue to seek guidance from his contacts.

Grant has spent the last two years working alongside McKenna, who gained promotion from League One in his first full season as manager – something Grant hopes to duplicate in 2025-26 – and was promoted again from the Championship a year later.

Given McKenna’s unique decision to pay tribute to Grant in the press release announcing his arrival in West Yorkshire, it would be surprising if he was not one of the former Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper’s regular “phone a friends” throughout the summer and beyond.

“The phone hasn’t stopped ringing; the life of a manager has already begun in that regard,” Grant said on Thursday, his first full day at his new job.

“I will rely on people in my network, including sporting directors, heads of recruitment, scouts, other players, and coaches, because I believe it is critical to exhaust all options when it comes to securing the best players, the best process, and everything else for the football club I am currently working for.

“Of course, while accomplishing all of this, I must maintain a stable and balanced position.

“The occasional phone contact will not modify or affect my guiding beliefs.

“Certainly there’s people I trust within the game that I can listen to and lean on if needs be but for sure at this moment in time it’s finding that balance of what’s right for me and what can help supplement me.”