Lee Grant says “rest isn’t on my agenda” as one season rolls into another for Huddersfield Town’s new manager.
The former Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper took over at the John Smith’s Stadium just four days after his final game as an Ipswich Town coach.
And Grant intends to be more aggressive and hands-on than others, stating that he wants to be in charge of transfer negotiations and asking whether Mark Cartwright would be replaced as the club’s sporting director.
Most people who choose modern-day professional teams have someone else making judgments and performing the legwork on transfers for a reason: coaches, rather than managers, are increasingly working inside a continental-style system. Grant will not be left to fend for himself – league clubs are too big for that anymore – but no sporting director will expect more from him.
With 10 senior players released this summer and a new style of play to install, there is a lot of work to be done both on the transfer market and on the Canalside training grounds.
Midfielder Ryan Ledson and winger Marcus Harness were signed in Grant’s first week, and more new faces are likely.
With the entire football landscape distorted to meet the FIA’s latest vanity project, the Club World Cup, there is a transfer window open until Tuesday, and another will open on June 16, though in actuality, teams will continue to deal through the gap.
So, while other managers are taking well-deserved time off before returning to work with their players at the end of the month, the 42-year-old has no such intentions.
“Rest isn’t on my agenda right now, and I’m fine with that,” said Grant, who was a first-team coach at Ipswich for three seasons before joining West Yorkshire.
“I’m used to working at a quick pace.
“The boys at the Ipswich office will be chuckling because we set high standards and work at a fast pace.
“I am bringing a lot of that passion and workrate with me. My staff shares it and is excited to share it with the players.
“Hopefully, that carries through the training site, stadium, and onto the pitch.
“I apologize to Helen, my wife, and the children, but I have a very supportive family behind me in this. She’s seen a lot, and she understands it.
“I’m excited to get started with the task. I believe it is critical to have everything in place in order to start the season on a strong footing.”
Grant, who is still putting together and confirming a coaching staff that will include former Hull City central defender Paul McShane, does not see it as a lack of assistance at Huddersfield, but rather the luxury of being free to call the shots.
He sees “a club that was ready for somebody in my image, somebody who was young, hungry, enthusiastic, and eager to work.”
“Huddersfield had a desire in their process for someone with those attributes. I fit the bill, and having a football club that trusts and believes in the way I want to work and lead makes me quite happy.
“The trust and belief they have shown me has been exceptional.
“(My job title) speaks to the job I want to do, the person I am, and the task that is currently underway is my work. I’m very pleased with that.
“I have to be extremely certain about everyone that comes in the door, whether that’s staff.
Impatience and high expectations have been an issue throughout Kevin Nagle’s first two years as chairman, resulting in the dismissal of four prior managers/head coaches, as well as interim Jon Worthington.
But Grant is embracing and encouraging high expectations for a squad that finished 10th in League One last season, and he and his signings have discussed the possibility of promotion in 2026.
“I don’t think we’re under any illusions with what we have in place and with what we’re looking to achieve that we want to win games this season,” according to him. “That is the reason I came here.
“If they’d tried to sell me a project that involved perhaps not winning so many games, perhaps not achieving the things we want to achieve this season, I’m not sure I’d be here.” My motivation and determination is for us to win a lot of football games, to compete at the top of the division, to set a high standard in this league, to be a team that can control and dominate football games, to compete, to do the horrible things, to do the physical hard yards.
“Those are the things I hope to see from this team and football club in the future.
“There’s lots of work to do to achieve that.”
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