Stoke City appoint former Aston Villa and Wolves manager Paul Lambert as boss on two-and-a-half-year deal

Lambert has been out of a job since being sacked by Wolves last year

Lambert has not managed in the Premier League since 2015 (Getty)

Stoke City have appointed former Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Paul Lambert as successor to Mark Hughes following his dismissal earlier this month.

Lambert had been out of a job after being sacked at Molineux at the end of the 2016-17 season “following a football review” but has now signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at the Bet365 Stadium.

However, he replaces Hughes after the club’s first two choices, Quique Sanchez Flores and Martin O’Neill, turned down the job over the weekend.

In a statement, chairman Peter Coates said: “Paul greatly impressed us with his knowledge of our squad and had a clear plan of how he would improve our results.

“He’s a man who backed himself as a player, none more so than when he turned down contract offers in Scotland to go on trial in the German Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, and it’s obvious he adopts the same approach as a manager.”

“Paul has been successful in management at clubs with a strong and stable background and with local ownership – the kind of foundation we are able to give to our managers.

“We were determined to appoint someone with Premier League experience or an extensive knowledge of English football. We look forward to working with Paul and supporting him to help achieve our goals.”

Lambert will be at Old Trafford on Monday night to watch Stoke face Manchester United before taking charge of team affairs on Tuesday.