McGhee prepares for Molineux move

Football

TONY LEIGHTON

Mark McGhee is expected to walk out on Leicester City today to become the new manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers, the club he calls "the last of the sleeping giants".

McGhee discussed leaving Leicester with his chairman, Martin George, on Saturday evening. "We do not want Mark McGhee to leave Filbert Street," George said. "We want him to stay and continue his good work." McGhee, however, has yet to sign his contract at Leicester, and is expected to leave and fill the vacancy left by Graham Taylor.

If so, Wolves will have to pay around pounds 250,000 in compensation to Leicester, while they will also provide money - around pounds 2m - for McGhee to start rebuilding a team which is struggling in the First Division after being pre- season championship favourites.

McGhee, who claims he was "quoted out of context" in reports last week of a loyalty pledge to Leicester, said: "I owe myself this chance. I have been ambitious all my life and I deserve the opportunity to better myself in football terms. Wolves are the last of the sleeping giants waiting to be awoken. There is fantastic potential and enormous expectation and I thrive on challenges like this. Opportunities like this don't come along every day. I'm prepared to face the flak which will be thrown at me, but I can leave with a clear conscience."

McGhee's walkout will spark a row between the two clubs similar to the one which followed Brian Little's controversial move from Leicester to Aston Villa 12 months ago. Then George went to the High Court in an attempt to prevent Little from joining Villa. He may now follow the same course of action, but McGhee's move now looks inevitable.

There was mixed news for Bolton. Scott Sellars will join them from Newcastle today for pounds 750,000 from Newcastle, but the club could be without defender Alan Stubbs until the New Year because of ankle trouble. An X-ray on the injury confirmed he has a hair-line crack and he has been put in plaster.

Jim Platt is likely to be named manager of Third Division Darlington today. He has shared the job since the summer with David Hodgson, who resigned before Saturday's 2-2 draw at Rochdale in the FA Cup second round.