Walsall appoint Lee Grant as head coach on three-year deal | OneFootball

Walsall have appointed Lee Grant as head coach on a three-year deal. He replaces Mat Sadler, who was dismissed in March after over two-and-a-half years in charge.

According to ExpressAndStar.com, the 43-year-old takes only his second managerial role after a short spell at Huddersfield Town in League One last term. He was relieved of his duties in January after eight months.

Grant began brightly at Huddersfield with four wins in his first five matches, then pressure grew with only four victories across the next 15 games.

Three straight wins over Christmas briefly steadied results, but a four-match winless run brought his tenure to an end.

There has been no update on Darren Byfield, who oversaw the final 10 games as interim head coach. The former Walsall striker returned as first-team coach in summer 2023, initially guiding a five-match unbeaten run before a 13th-place finish after four defeats in the last five.

Before Huddersfield, Grant spent three years as first-team coach at Ipswich Town, winning automatic promotion to the Premier League in 2024.

The former goalkeeper’s 22-year playing career took in Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday, Burnley, Stoke City and Manchester United. He made 511 Football League appearances, including 35 for Stoke in the Premier League between 2016 and 2018, and ended with four years at United, playing twice.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com