Yahoo News Coventry City add two new signings to coaching staff - including an old fan favourite
Coventry City have made two new signings as Mark Robins has strengthened his backroom staff with the arrivals of talented first team coaches to replace Dennis Lawrence.
And one of them is a familiar face to fans of a certain age, with the return of one-time favourite and from the Sky Blues' late Premier League years, George Boateng.
The 48-year-old former midfielder, who starred for City for a season-and-a-half between January 1998 and the summer of 1999 when he moved to Aston Villa for £4.5m, was most recently coaching the Ghana national team as assistant manager. He has also held coaching roles at Villa Park, where he was in charge of the under-23s, having joined the club from Blackburn Rovers’ Academy coaching staff to coach Villa’s under-18s.
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City have also appointed Rhys Carr from Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he was an elite player development coach for the last two years, a post he combined with being assistant coach to the Ireland Women’s National Team.
Carr previously held positions at League One Bristol Rovers, having also worked as an individual development coach within Sheffield United’s academy and performed a similar role at Bristol City and Cardiff City.
Manager Mark Robins said: “We are very pleased to welcome George and Rhys to Coventry City. They both impressed us during the extensive recruitment process for this important role and each bring key skills to the football department.
“Their experience and knowledge will greatly aid our work to maximise the performance and preparation of our team, both in advance of, and on matchdays, and we are excited to begin working with them.”
Performance Director Claire-Marie Roberts said: “George & Rhys were consistently the strongest candidates throughout our extensive selection process. Their respective skills will bring a new dimension to our experienced multi-disciplinary team as we work to continually enhance the development and preparation of our first-team players.”
Boateng and Carr join the Sky Blues with immediate effect as the City squad assembles for the start of pre-season training at Ryton, joining goalkeeping coach Aled Williams as part of the Club’s first-team coaching staff.
Boateng played 57 games and scored 7 goals for the Club from 1998 to 1999 after a move from Feyenoord. The midfielder famously netted twice as the Sky Blues won in the league against Aston Villa at Villa Park for the first time in 63 years. He also had spells in England at Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, Hull City and Nottingham Forest. Ghanaian born, Boateng represented the Netherlands on four occasions.
