Nolan had other options but 'really fancied' the opportunity to manage Cobblers
Kevin Nolan says he had ‘a few offers’ whilst working as a coach at West Ham – but there was something about the prospect of managing Cobblers that he ‘really fancied’.
Nolan has not worked as a manager since 2018 but between 2020 and 2024 he was part of David Moyes’ coaching staff with West Ham United, during which time they finished sixth and seventh in the Premier League and won the Europa Conference League.
He has always wanted to return to management though and after turning down other opportunities, the chance to replace Jon Brady and take charge of Northampton was one he couldn’t resist.
“I am very excited, you know when a good club comes up you want to be a part of it,” he said. “You get a few offers when you're out of the game but when I knew Northampton were interested it was music to my ears and it's fantastic to be here.
“I spoke to the owners about their vision for the club and when you look at what they have done for the club already you can see what a great opportunity this is. It’s a well-run, well-structured club and I felt this was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.
“It has been a whirlwind 24 hours but I am really looking forward to stamping my authority on the club and getting it moving forward.”
After doing well as a young coach with Leyton Orient and Notts County, Nolan always knew one day he would return to management.
He added: "I'm lucky to be one of the 72 EFL managers who has a job and they are all tough jobs in their own way but this is what I wanted and this is the next step in my journey to getting to the top.
"I spoke to Kelvin (Thomas) about that and he said that he wants to see people come wanting to take me off the club in the next three or four years because we've been successful together and that's how I see it.
"It's now about me showing them the loyalty that they've shown me and I'll work as hard as I can to make sure that comes through in my team.
"I learned a lot in my time at West Ham but when the previous manager left and the opportunity came up here, it was one that I really fancied.
"There's not many that have come up recently where I've thought 'yes I want to be involved in that' but from what I've seen from the club and the owners, on and off the field, I've been really impressed with what they had to say and how they go about their business.”