Wolves appoint new manager Solbakken

Wolves' new manager has been revealed as Norwegian football coach Stale Solbakken.

The 44-year-old will be officially unveiled at a press conference on Monday, following Sunday's final game of the Premier League season at Wigan.

Solbakken said today: "I am delighted to be taking up the important challenge to manage Wolves. It's an exciting opportunity to manage a great club and I can't wait to get started."

It comes after the Express & Star exclusively revealed Solbakken had emerged as the frontrunner to land the job, with odds slashed from 8-1 on Tuesday to 1-2 yesterday. He will be the club's first foreign manager in its 135-year history.

Solbakken, who was sacked from Cologne last month, held talks at Molineux yesterday afternoon after being shown around the Compton Park training ground, before agreement was reached last night. Current boss Terry Connor will remain as part of the backroom staff.

The move to appoint the former Wimbledon player – who almost died following a heart attack as a footballer – is seen as a huge gamble for Wolves owner Steve Morgan and chief executive Jez Moxey.

Confirming the appointment today, Mr Moxey said: "Following talks with Stale Solbakken I am happy to confirm that he has agreed to become our new manager. He will be formally introduced to the media on Monday."

While he is a relative unknown to most UK football fans, in Europe Solbakken has a reputation as a colourful character with a fiery spirit. A YouTube clip of him angrily remonstrating with Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola during a game has been viewed more than 270,000 times.

In 2001, while playing under current Albion boss and new England coach Roy Hodgson, his heart stopped beating for seven minutes following a cardiac arrest that ultimately ended his playing career with Danish club Copenhagen.

Hodgson relived the incident a few weeks ago in the wake of Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba's collapse, revealing how it was only the proximity of the ambulance station, yards from the training pitch, and the hospital that saved Solbakken's life. After his playing career ended, Solbakken went on to enjoy success as a manager, with his main achievements coming at Copenhagen. He led the club to five Danish Superliga titles and the Danish Cup in 2009.

He became Norway's head coach last June and then moved to Cologne. He was sacked in April with Cologne third bottom of the Bundesliga with four games left, before they were relegated. Wolves have not said how long Solbakken's contract is, but he will officially take over from July 1.

By Shaun Jepson