Napoli owner linked to Orient

Napoli owner linked to Orient

Published Jun. 26, 2013 7:16 a.m. ET

Brian Horton has joined Doncaster as assistant to manager Paul Dickov.

Horton, who has more than 1,000 games as a boss on his CV, managed Manchester City in the Premier League and was Phil Brown's assistant when Hull City won promotion in 2008.

The 64-year-old will support new Rovers boss Dickov, who replaced Brian Flynn last month following the club's promotion to the Championship.

He told the club's official website: "It's brilliant to be here. It's a great club with a fantastic training ground and stadium, and with promotion to the Championship last season I'm really looking forward to it.

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"I was asked by Phil Brown whether I would go to Southend, which I chose not to do. Paul then asked me what I was doing and whether I would be interested in joining him here if he got the job.

"We sat down and had a chat and discovered we have the same footballing ideas so I'm delighted to be here with him.

"I know Paul through the Manchester City connections and when we spoke he said he wanted some experience with him and that is why I decided to come - it's great to be back in football."

Dickov said: "Brian is someone who will be fantastic for me having managed over 1,000 games and probably had around 600 or 700 games as assistant manager."

Wright joined manager Karl Robinson's staff last summer and was unveiled at a press conference alongside assistant manager Mick Harford, who left the League One club a fortnight ago.

Wright coached the Dons first team but the 49-year-old is unable to continue in the role. However, he will still work with the club on an ad-hoc basis next season.

Wright's departure is another part of the shake-up of the backroom team in Milton Keynes which this week also saw former Aldershot and Wycombe boss Gary Waddock join the Dons as head of coaching.

The French forward had the option of a further 12 months in Perth but turned that down to pen a three-year deal with the Transylvanian outfit.

The 26-year-old will now link up with boss Mircea Rednic's squad at their pre-season training base in the Austrian Alps.

Tade - who finished last season with six goals from his 41 outings for the Saints - first moved to Scotland seven years ago when he signed for Forfar. He also had spells with Stranraer, Clyde and Raith Rovers before finally making it to the Scottish Premier League in 2011 with Inverness.

He moved on to St Johnstone after just 12 months in the Highlands but is now setting his sights on helping the 2012 Romanian champions seal a return to the Champions League.

The player was represented by Ricky Gillies and his ProLegal Group during the negotiations and the former Scotland Under-21 international told Press Association Sport: "This is a fantastic move for Gregory.

"He came to Scotland from France in 2006 and joined Forfar when they were in the Third Division. He worked his way to the SPL the hard way. Now he's got his move to a big club in Europe and it is thoroughly deserved.

"It's a fantastic story for a young guy from Nantes and shows what hard work can do.

"Cluj have been in the Champions League a couple of times in recent years and played Chelsea on one of those occasions. They have got big ambitions to get back there and that is something that has excited Gregory.

"And the move to Romania opens up a whole new market for him too. Russia and Ukraine are close by and have some really big clubs now. There's a chance he could catch their eye and earn himself another big switch."

De Laurentiis, who is also the owner of Napoli, apparently wants to follow in the footsteps of the Pozzo family, who own Udinese and Spanish club Granada and last year took over at Championship side Watford.

The Hornets were then controversially loaned a host of players from the two clubs, with the likes of Matej Vydra and Almen Abdi firing them to the play-off final where they were narrowly beaten by Crystal Palace.

According to the reports, De Laurentiis wants a similar tie-in with Orient, where he could send Napoli's younger players to gain first-team experience.

However, the prospect of Edinson Cavani playing up front with Kevin Lisbie at Brisbane Road next season is a long way away as things stand, after Orient confirmed there has been no contact from Italy.

However, a spokesman for the League One club added: "They are welcome to give us a call if they want to."

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