Next England boss Sam Allardyce hoping to appoint Paul Clement as his No.2

SAM ALLARDYCE wants to appoint Paul Clement as his right-hand man once he becomes England boss.

By Jeremy Cross, Chief Sports Writer

THE BOSS: Big Sam will become England boss

Allardyce has spent the last 24 hours putting together his new backroom team after the FA told him he would be replacing Roy Hodgson.

He is expected to be confirmed today, as exclusively revealed in Starsport earlier this week.

The FA had been hoping to make an announcement sooner after rubber-stamping his selection at a board meeting yesterday.

WE TOLD YOU SO: Starsport reported Allardyce's arrival earlier this week

But they spent the rest of the day locked in talks over compensation with Sunderland.

Black Cats owner Ellis Short is seething with the FA for poaching Allardyce so close to the start of the new season.

It has resulted in him demanding more than £2m in compensation from FA bosses, who are willing to meet the Premier League outfit’s demands.

This is the amount Allardyce would have been paid during the final season of his contract at the Stadium of Light.

But there will be no major problems and Allardyce has wasted no time in targeting who he wants to help him in his new England set-up.

Starsport has learned that Allardyce has contacted Clement to ask him if he will lead his coaching team.

Clement, 44, is currently working as Carlo Ancelotti’s No.2 at Bayern Munich, having been sacked by Derby earlier this year.

Clement also worked with Ancelotti at Real Madrid,Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain and has a strong relationship with the Italian boss.

But it is understood Clement’s role with England would be a part-time one and he is confident both Bayern and Ancelotti will not stop him accepting Allardyce’s invitation.

Sir Alex Ferguson, who helped champion Allardyce’s cause, has backed the FA’s decision to appoint his good friend and insisted he is the right man for the job.

Ferguson said: “He’s got many years of club football behind him and the confidence and the reputation.

“He’s certainly the top Englishman. You can search the world for a top manager but it was right to appoint an Englishman.”

Jose Mourinho has also backed Allardyce, but admits he needs the support of the whole country if he is to make England successful again.

The new Manchester United boss said: “It’s your country and I think you are a complicated country for the person who gets the job.

“I think he is the right person for that, he’s a good choice but he needs support and I think you can do better in respect to that.

“Sam never had the big chance at the highest level, lots of experiences in the Premier League, but never that big one. Now he has the big one.

“So I think he’s more than ready. He’s a good motivator, he can create a good team spirit with his players and I wish him the best from my side, not just as a friend, but my side as the Manchester United manager.”